blind
• adjective 1 lacking the power of sight; unable to see. 2 done without being able to see or without necessary information. 3 lacking perception, judgement, or reason. 4 concealed, closed, or blocked off. 5 (of flying) using instruments only. 6 informal the slightest: it didn’t do a blind bit of good. • verb 1 make blind. 2 deprive of understanding or judgement. 3 (blind with) confuse or overawe (someone) with (something they do not understand). • noun 1 a screen for a window. 2 something designed to conceal one’s real intentions. • adverb without being able to see clearly. — PHRASES bake blind bake (a flan case) without a filling. blind drunk informal extremely drunk. turn a blind eye pretend not to notice. said to be in allusion to Nelson, who lifted a telescope to his blind eye at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), thus not seeing the signal to ‘discontinue the action’. when the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a ditch proverb those people without knowledge or experience should not try to guide others in a similar position. — DERIVATIVES blindly adverb blindness noun. — ORIGIN Old English.
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