Meaning & use
blind leading the blind
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Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
A situation where someone who knows little is trying to guide or teach another person who knows just as little.
Grammar: Usually stands alone as a comment: it was the blind leading the blind.
Patterns
- it's a case of the blind leading the blind
Neither of us had used the machine before, so it was the blind leading the blind.
Asking a new hire to train another new hire is the blind leading the blind.
Our study group felt like the blind leading the blind until the tutor joined.
Common combinations
- a case of the blind leading the blind
- With no experienced staff, it was a case of the blind leading the blind.
- sounds like the blind leading the blind
- Two beginners coaching each other sounds like the blind leading the blind.
- feel like the blind leading the blind
- The first week of the project felt like the blind leading the blind.
- nothing but the blind leading the blind
- The online forum was nothing but the blind leading the blind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- amateur hour
- It is a more mocking phrase that criticizes sloppy work rather than shared lack of knowledge.
- clueless
- A single-word adjective for one person, whereas the idiom describes two people depending on each other.
- out of one's depth
- It describes someone struggling with a task, not the problem of unqualified guidance.
Opposites
Word family
Practice
Two first-year students try to teach each other a hard topic before an exam. Which idiom fits best?
Choose one answer.
Both students lack knowledge, so the blind leading the blind fits. A storm in a teacup means a fuss over nothing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blind leading the blind”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.