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Meaning & use

blinkers on

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈblɪŋkəz ˌɒn/
US/ˈblɪŋkərz ˌɑːn/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformal

    Unable or unwilling to notice facts or other people's views, so your judgment stays narrow.

    Grammar: Used after have, with, or keep, and often followed by about or over: he has blinkers on about the risks.

    Patterns

    • have blinkers on
    • with blinkers on
    • have blinkers on about something
    • keep your blinkers on

    The manager has blinkers on about the falling sales figures.

    If you keep your blinkers on, you will miss what the customers are telling you.

    She went into the talks with blinkers on and ignored every warning.

  2. phrasefixed phrase

    Wearing the leather flaps that stop a horse from seeing sideways.

    Grammar: Describes a horse's equipment; blinkers is always plural here and takes a plural verb.

    Patterns

    • a horse with blinkers on
    • put blinkers on a horse

    The horse had blinkers on, so it could not see the crowd beside the track.

    They put blinkers on the young horse to keep it focused on the race.

Common combinations

have blinkers on
He has blinkers on when it comes to his own mistakes.
with blinkers on
She reviewed the plan with blinkers on and approved it too quickly.
keep your blinkers on
Keep your blinkers on and you will never learn anything new.
blinkers on about
The team had blinkers on about how much the repair would cost.

Synonyms and how they differ

narrow-minded
Describes a lasting personal attitude, while blinkers on pictures a temporary failure to see something.
tunnel vision
A noun for focusing on one thing and ignoring the rest; blinkers on is the more personal, idiomatic way to say it.
close-minded
Stronger and more critical about a person's general character than the situational blinkers on.

Opposites

open-mindedbroad-minded

Word family

blinker noun
A light on a car that flashes to show which way you are turning.
blinkered adjective
Having a narrow, limited view of things.
blink verb
To close and open your eyes quickly.

Commonly confused: blinkers on or blinkers? blinkers on or blinders?

blinkers on vs blinkers

On its own this usually means a car's flashing turn signals in American English, or a horse's side flaps; the phrase blinkers on adds the idea of a closed mind.

blinkers on vs blinders

American English uses blinders for the horse's flaps and for the same idiom, so "blinders on" and "blinkers on" mean the same thing.

Practice

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