The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
automatic pilot
NOUN:
1. A navigation mechanism, as on an aircraft, that automatically maintains a preset course. Also called robot pilot. 2. A state of mind in which one acts without deliberate effort or self-awareness: “men who are, sexually speaking, on automatic pilot” (Gloria Steinem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellion 1986 Signet Books).
