Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Turn a blind eye
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Turn a blind eye" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourAcademic & Formal Discourse collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Turn a blind eye
To deliberately ignore something that you know is wrong, illegal, or improper instead of taking action to stop it.
History & Origin
The idiom is widely attributed to Admiral Horatio Nelson during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. When signaled by his flagship to retreat, Nelson, who was blind in one eye, deliberately held his telescope to his blind eye and claimed he could not see the signal. He ordered his fleet to keep fighting and subsequently won the battle.
Examples
The manager decided to turn a blind eye to employees arriving ten minutes late, as long as they finished their daily tasks before leaving.
I know he's your brother, but you can't just turn a blind eye when he treats people so unfairly.
Historians argue that local authorities turned a blind eye to smuggling activities because it supported the regional economy during the recession.
International observers accused the coalition of turning a blind eye to human rights violations occurring within the refugee camps.
As citizens, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to corruption in our local government; we must demand transparency.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. She was so exhausted by the end of the long day that she turned a blind eye and slept for ten hours straight.
B. Although the security guard noticed the shoplifter stuffing items into his coat, he turned a blind eye and let the man walk out of the store.
C. To get a better view of the distant stars, the astronomer turned a blind eye toward the telescope.
D. He accidentally turned a blind eye when he fell off his bicycle and injured his face, making it difficult to see.