What does ‘turn a blind eye’ mean?
To “turn a blind eye” means to pretend not to see something. Brewer's attributes the origin to Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), who put his telescope to his blind eye and said he could not see the signal to withdraw.
Origin
- Brewer's attributes the origin to Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), who put his telescope to his blind eye and said he could not see the signal to withdraw.
How to use it
- Used of tolerated wrongdoing.
- Example: Management turned a blind eye to the long lunches.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.