simple oversight

[/ˈsɪmpəl ˈoʊvərsaɪt/]
nounpl: simple oversights
simples negligência / simples descuido / simples omissão
1. An unintentional failure to notice, do, or include something; a minor mistake caused by lack of attention rather than carelessness
Forgetting to send the email was just a simple oversight on my part.
Esquecer de enviar o email foi apenas uma simples negligência da minha parte.
2. A failure in supervision or monitoring that is not deliberately negligent but rather due to inattention
The mistake slipped through as a simple oversight in the quality control process.
O erro passou despercebido como um simples descuido no processo de controle de qualidade.
In both Brazilian and American contexts, acknowledging something as a 'simple oversight' is a common way to apologize and downplay unintentional mistakes in professional and personal settings. In Brazil, this phrase is frequently used in business communication to maintain face and relationships. In the USA, it's similarly used to distinguish between negligence and unintentional error, which can have legal implications in some contexts.
NYC Slang
my bad / honest mistake / brain fart
Synonyms / Sinônimos
inadvertent mistakeunintentional errorlapseslipmissomission
Antonyms / Antônimos
deliberate actintentional errorcareful attentionsupervision

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
simples negligência / simples descuido
Most common usage in formal and informal contexts
Rio de Janeiro
bobeira / simples distração
More colloquial, informal usage
São Paulo
simples negligência / descuido
Formal business and professional contexts
Portugal
simples descuido / lapso
More formal; 'lapso' is commonly used in European Portuguese

Related Words

negligenceinattentionmistakeerrorlapse in judgmentabsent-mindedness

Related Idioms & Phrases

slip of the mind
brain lapse
out of sight, out of mind
it just slipped my mind
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