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Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned and we should not turn a blind eye to them.
Cate Blanchett

Meaning of "turn a blind eye" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF TURN A BLIND EYE

turn a blind eye play
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WHAT DOES TURN A BLIND EYE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Turning a blind eye

Turning a blind eye is an idiom describing the ignoring of undesirable information. The phrase to turn a blind eye is attributed to an incident in the life of Admiral Horatio Nelson. Nelson was blinded in one eye early in his Royal Navy career. In 1801, during the Battle of Copenhagen cautious Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in overall command of the British forces, sent a signal to Nelson's forces giving him discretion to withdraw. Naval orders were transmitted via a system of signal flags at that time. When this order was given to the more aggressive Nelson's attention, he lifted his telescope up to his blind eye, said "I really do not see the signal", and his forces continued to press home the attack. Despite the popular belief that he was disobeying orders, the signal gave Nelson permission to withdraw at his discretion. Even at the time, some of the people on his ship may have believed otherwise as they were unaware of the exact content of the signal.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TURN A BLIND EYE

turn
turn a blind eye to
turn a deaf ear
turn a trick
turn against
turn and turn about
turn away
turn bridge
turn down
turn heads
turn in
turn in on oneself
turn of phrase
turn off
turn on
turn one´s back on
turn one´s hand to
turn out
turn over
turn over a new leaf

WORDS THAT END LIKE TURN A BLIND EYE

an eye for an eye
beady eye
black eye
compound eye
eagle eye
easy on the eye
electric eye
evil eye
glad eye
half an eye
hook and eye
in the public eye
mind´s eye
more than meets the eye
my eye
private eye
red eye
see eye to eye
smack in the eye
third eye

Synonyms and antonyms of turn a blind eye in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «turn a blind eye» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF TURN A BLIND EYE

Find out the translation of turn a blind eye to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of turn a blind eye from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «turn a blind eye» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

视而不见
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

hacer la vista gorda
570 millions of speakers

English

turn a blind eye
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

एक अंधे आँख बारी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

تغض الطرف
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

закрывать глаза
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

fechar os olhos
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

চ্রফ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

fermer les yeux
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Matikan mata
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

ein Auge zudrücken
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

見て見ぬふりをする
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

외면
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Nguripake mripat sing wuta
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

nhắm mắt làm ngơ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

குருட்டுக் கண்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

एक आंधळा डोळा चालू
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Görmemezlikten gelmek
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

chiudere un occhio
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

przymknąć oko
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

закривати очі
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

închide ochii
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

εθελοτυφλούμε
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

draai ´n blinde oog
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

blunda
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

snu det blinde øyet
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of turn a blind eye

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TURN A BLIND EYE»

The term «turn a blind eye» is very widely used and occupies the 12.903 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
94
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «turn a blind eye» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of turn a blind eye
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «turn a blind eye».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TURN A BLIND EYE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «turn a blind eye» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «turn a blind eye» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about turn a blind eye

EXAMPLES

8 QUOTES WITH «TURN A BLIND EYE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word turn a blind eye.
1
Gerry Adams
In the past I have defended the right of the IRA to engage in armed struggle. I did so because there was no alternative for those who would not bend the knee, or turn a blind eye to oppression, or for those who wanted a national republic.
2
Paul Begala
Again and again, I've seen Bush turn a blind eye as his henchmen have leveled zealous attacks against his political enemies - assaults which the president himself has sometimes directly encouraged.
3
Cate Blanchett
Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned and we should not turn a blind eye to them.
4
Lori Foster
Now, and in the future, my focus is entirely on pets and children. I'm not a person who can turn a blind eye to injustice against them.
5
Elton Gallegly
Every unskilled illegal immigrant who enters the United States for work drives up healthcare costs for every American. And, every illegal immigrant we turn a blind eye toward weakens the rule of law our country is founded on.
6
Pope Gregory VII
It is the custom of the Roman Church which I unworthily serve with the help of God, to tolerate some things, to turn a blind eye to some, following the spirit of discretion rather than the rigid letter of the law.
7
Ashwin Sanghi
As Indians, we take great pride in the fact that we are a progressive nation. We are proud of our democracy, our secular values as well as our entrepreneurial spirit. We are appalled by the harsh laws that govern women's lives in Taliban-dominated lands. Yet we turn a blind eye to the injustices that our own society continues to heap upon women.
8
Susan Sarandon
I try to live my life every day in the present, and try not to turn a blind eye to injustice and need.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TURN A BLIND EYE»

Discover the use of turn a blind eye in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to turn a blind eye and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story Of A Doctor Who Got Away With
A medical thriller from Pulitzer Prize–winning author James B. Stewart about serial killer doctor Michael Swango and the medical community that chose to turn a blind eye on his criminal activities.
James B. Stewart, 2012
2
Turn a Blind Eye: -A Mother's True Story- Pushed to Perform, ...
How do youngsters cope with the pressures of competitive endeavors?
Karen Montgomery, 2005
3
A Blind Eye: A Leo Waterman Mystery
The grisly nightmare Frank Corso and Meg Dougherty have uncovered is nothing they can turn a blind eye to.
G.M. Ford, 2009
4
Turning a Blind Eye: Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador's ...
“Sugarcane has the most risks,” he said. “It's indisputable—sugarcane is the most dangerous.”5 As this report documents, children's health and safety are not guaranteed in sugarcane cultivation, and plantation foremen turn a blind eye to the ...
‎2004
5
Turn a Blind Eye
With dramatic action on land and at sea, Turn a Blind Eye exposes the private war against the Treasury with gripping fact and fascinating detail.
Alaric Bond, 2013
6
Corpus-based Approaches to Metaphor and Metonymy
(33) With an eye for contemporary styling, Verity Lambert agreed ... (F) turn a blind eye to NP. This pattern means that the subject 'disregards NP'. Most examples have some authority tolerate illegality. Ten examples are found in the data.
Anatol Stefanowitsch, Stefan Thomas Gries, 2007
7
Stick Out Like a Sore Thumb: And Other Expressions about ...
But what does Dani mean when she says people turn a blind eye? After all, a blind eye couldn't see anything no matter where you pointed it, right? This expression is a way of saying that a person is choosing to ignore something unpleasant or ...
Matt Doeden, 2012
8
Studies in Literature in English
... and, had actually disowned his better self and proper perceptions as well as made an attempt to turn a blind eye to his real being. But Lear's enlightenment brings about a sudden change of values, and Heilman adds: The frenzied searching ...
Mohit Kumar Ray, 2006
9
The Internal Auditing Handbook
Hailed as the biggest shake-up of auditing in 100 years, accountancy firms will have to follow tough guidelines designed to prevent conflicts ofinterests and a willingness to turn a blind eye to dubious behaviour to retain lucrative contracts.
K. H. Spencer Pickett, 2010
10
Resistance Fighter: A Personal History of the Danish ...
One problem for a historical evaluation of this passivity is that it has not been easy to trace the chain of command by which any orders to "turn a blind eye" were given. The persecution of the Jews involved the Gestapo, ss troops and the  ...
Jørgen Kieler, 2007

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TURN A BLIND EYE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term turn a blind eye is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Jazz Heavyweight Terence Blanchard Won't Turn a Blind Eye
"It's hard with my background to turn a blind eye to what's been happening." ... The film side has opened my eyes to story telling, context, and all of those issues. «Mother Jones, Aug 15»
2
'Don't turn a blind eye': Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd's …
"The integrity of government administration depends in large part on people not being prepared to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing of any kind. "APS employees ... «The Canberra Times, Jul 15»
3
'We cannot turn a blind eye to this'
The Karnataka High Court has allowed a 75% blind candidate to write judicial exam with the help of a scribe and came down hard on a government notification ... «Bangalore Mirror, Jul 15»
4
Public Release: 9-Jul-2015 Scientists don't turn a blind eye to bias
The team found that non-blind experiments - that is, where scientists knew which samples they were recording - averaged a 27 per cent stronger result than ... «EurekAlert, Jul 15»
5
Michael Oher blasts 'The Blind Side,' says movie has negatively …
Michael Oher wishes people would turn a blind eye to “The Blind Side.” The man whose story inspired the 2009 film — which led to an Oscar and a Golden ... «New York Daily News, Jun 15»
6
We must not turn a blind eye: these desperate migrants deserve …
Rescued migrants arriving in Sicily: 'I want Britain to play its proper part in helping to resolve this crisis, and putting an end to the deaths, particularly of children. «The Guardian, Apr 15»
7
Should I turn a blind eye to workplace productivity drugs?
As the business owner I'm not sure whether I should: a) turn a blind eye; ... To turn a blind eye to the fact that most of your workforce is dropping ADHD drugs ... «Financial Times, Apr 15»
8
Republicans turn a blind eye to the science of the Iran debate
The Republican Party's strained relationship with modern science has grown more serious in recent months. GOP leaders have struggled, repeatedly, when ... «MSNBC, Apr 15»
9
Pope Francis Urges World Leaders Not to 'Turn a Blind Eye' to …
In a thinly veiled criticism of the world response to the crimes of the Islamic State, Francis appealed to the international community not to “turn a blind eye” to the ... «Breitbart News, Apr 15»
10
In Thailand's Muslim south, authorities turn a blind eye to FGM
Thai health authorities have taken a pragmatic approach, apparently turning a blind eye. FGM as practised in Thailand falls under type IV in the WHO's ... «The Guardian, Mar 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Turn a blind eye [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/turn-a-blind-eye>. Mar 2023 ».
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