Famous Sayings: #81 — ‘Turn a Blind Eye’

September 29, 2017

The babysitter decided to turn a blind eye to the children who were staying up past their bedtime.

Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson decided to “turn a blind eye” to orders to retreat. Cropped Image of a painting by Lemuel Francis Abbott [Public domain]. You can view a version of the original at Wikimedia Commons.

While looking up the phrase “fall on deaf ears,” I came across this related term. Originally, I thought about incorporating this term into that post, but I soon realized the nuances in both, along with their distinctive origins.

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