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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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Up a Blind Alley (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Up a Blind Alley"?
The term "going up a blind alley" means heading towards uncertainty or the unknown, i.e., progressing without any clue of how the situation will develop.Table of Contents
- English Proverbs and Idioms Test
- More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms

Examples of Use:
- I know we're heading up a blind alley, but let's keep going.
- We're going up a blind alley here. There is no information about what lies ahead.
- This might go well, or it might go badly. We're going up a blind alley.
The word "blind" is used in a similar way in the term "blind bend" (one that drivers cannot see around) and "blind junction" (one that hides approaching traffic).
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