Etymology From Middle English blynd, from Old English blind, from Proto-West Germanic *blind, from Proto-Germanic *blindaz. Cognate with Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish blind, Faroese and Icelandic blindur.
He that is strucken blind cannot forget / The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
He was plainly blind, for he tapped before him with a stick, and wore a great green shade over his eyes and nose...1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
2
Failing to recognize, acknowledge or perceive.
The lovers were blind to each other’s faults.
Authors are blind to their own defects.
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God knows that I tried / Seeing the bright side / (I’m wide awake) / But I’m not blind anymore2012, Katy Perry, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Cirkut, “Wide Awake”, in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, performed by Katy Perry:
3
Of a place Having little or no visibility.
a blind path
a blind ditch
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a blind corner
the blind mazes of this tangled wood1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
4
Closed at one end; having a dead end; exitless.
a blind alley
a blind fistula
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a blind gut
The naric-hypophysial canal was blind at both ends, and paired olfactory sacs opened into it, as well as a narrow canal from the front of the gut.1898, Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, page 498:
North Richmond street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers' School set the boys free.1914, James Joyce, Araby:
5
Having no openings for light or passage; both dark and exitless.
In certain phrases, In the negative Smallest or slightest.
I shouted, but he didn’t take a blind bit of notice.
We pulled and pulled, but it didn't make a blind bit of difference.
8
Without any prior knowledge.
He took a blind guess at which fork in the road would take him to the airport.
I went into the meeting totally blind, so I really didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.
9
Unconditional; without regard to evidence, logic, reality, accidental mistakes, extenuating circumstances, etc.
blind deference
blind justice
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blind punishment
1787–1788, John Jay, The Federalist Papers This plan is recommended neither to blind approbation nor to blind reprobation.
America spells competition / Join us in our blind ambition / Get yourself a brand-new motor car1977, Dennis DeYoung, “The Grand Illusion”, in The Grand Illusion, performed by Styx:
10
Sciences Using blinded study design, wherein information is purposely limited to prevent bias.
a blind trial
11
Unintelligible or illegible.
a blind passage in a book; blind writing
12
not having a well-defined head.
There it was, right in the middle of my forehead - the biggest, blindest, reddest pimple I'd ever seen, just hanging there like a limpet mine.1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 28:
Etymology From Middle English blynd, from Old English blind, from Proto-West Germanic *blind, from Proto-Germanic *blindaz. Cognate with Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish blind, Faroese and Icelandic blindur.
A movable covering for a window to keep out light, made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.
It is a piece of wood furnished with two parallel rows of plates, folding over each other, so as to resemble, in some degree, the laths of a blind.1847, editorial staff, “Swimming Skate”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 3, Issue 9, page 68:
A blind bearing the monogram G.V.T. is pulled down over the waiting room window as if still in mourning for the passing of the railway.1941 June, “Notes and News: The Derelict Glyn Valley Tramway”, in Railway Magazine, page 279:
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Light filtered in through the blinds of the french windows. It made tremulous stripes along the scrubbed pine floor.1956, Delano Ames, chapter 12, in Crime out of Mind:
2
A destination sign mounted on a public transport vehicle displaying the route destination, number, name and/or via points, etc.
3
A place where people can hide in order to observe wildlife.
a duck blind
Field biologists use blinds, and so do hunters.
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A gang of children […] stampede along a slatted path to a blind beside a watering hole: a wooden hut full of long benches with a slot they can peek through, invisible to the animals.2010, Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Corsair (2011):
4
Something to mislead the eye or the understanding, or to conceal some covert deed or design; a subterfuge, deception.
So, when the watchful shepherd, from the blind, Wounds with a random shaft the careless hind1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
Etymology From Middle English blynd, from Old English blind, from Proto-West Germanic *blind, from Proto-Germanic *blindaz. Cognate with Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish blind, Faroese and Icelandic blindur.
1
To make temporarily or permanently blind.
The light was so bright that for a moment he was blinded.
Don’t wave that pencil in my face—do you want to blind me?
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A blind guide is certainly a great mischief; but a guide that blinds those whom he should lead is […] a much greater.May 9, 1686 (date of preaching), Robert South, The Fatal Imposture and Force of Words (sermon)
Obsolete except when paired; especially eff and blind; obsolete except when paired; especially eff and blind
If you’re cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind, Don’t grouse like a woman, nor crack on, nor blind; Be handy and civil, and then you will find That it’s beer for the young British soldier.1890, Rudyard Kipling, The Young British Soldier:
I could see the unfortunate man felt his position deeply, and I was surprised that he contented himself with a mere ‘Ouch !’ But I suppose these solid citizens have to learn to curb the tongue. Creates a bad impression, I mean, if they start blinding and stiffing as those more happily placed would be.1960, P. G. Wodehouse, “Chapter 4”, in Jeeves in the Offing:
3
To darken; to obscure to the eye or understanding; to conceal.
He ſought, but in the dark tempeſtuous Night He knew not whither to direct his Sight. So whirl the Seas, ſuch Darkneſs blinds the Sky, That the black Night receives a deeper Dye.1717, John Dryden, “Book XI. [The Story of Ceyx and Alcyone.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 396:
The state of the controversy between us he endeavored, with all his art, to blind and confound.1676, Edward Stillingfleet, A Defence of the Discourse Concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome:
4
To cover with a thin coating of sand and fine gravel, for example a road newly paved, in order that the joints between the stones may be filled.
Etymology From Middle English blynd, from Old English blind, from Proto-West Germanic *blind, from Proto-Germanic *blindaz. Cognate with Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish blind, Faroese and Icelandic blindur.
1
Without seeing; unseeingly.
It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness.1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 196:
It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness.1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 195:
Cooking, Food, LifestyleEspecially, In compounds, With ‘bake’ As a pastry case only, without any filling.
Blind bake your pie case for fifteen minutes, then add the filling. This will help avoid a “soggy bottom”.
If the shell is going to be baked without a filling, “baking the crust blind,” prick the bottom and sides of the crust to allow the steam to escape. Another variation: line the bottom of the crust with parchment paper […]2012, Frank D. Conforti, Food Selection and Preparation: A Laboratory Manual, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 63:
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PIE WEIGHTS: When you are baking a crust blind, which means when you are partially or fully baking it without filling (see blind-baking, page 474), you need something to keep the crust from puffing up: weights.2013, Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 490: