blind as a bat
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A bat is not blind, but if disturbed and forced into the sunlight it cannot see, and blunders about. It sees best in the dusk.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Examples
Without his glasses, he is as blind as a bat.Không có kính thì anh ấy sẽ không nhìn thấy gì hết.
Without his glasses, he is as blind as a bat.Không có kính thì ông ấy sẽ không nhìn thấy gì cả.
Tatoeba sentence #20794 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “blind as a bat” mean?
A bat is not blind, but if disturbed and forced into the sunlight it cannot see, and blunders about. It sees best in the dusk.
Is “blind as a bat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.