blind alley
a road, alley, etc., that is open at only one end.
a position or situation offering no hope of progress or improvement: That line of reasoning will only lead you up another blind alley.
Origin of blind alley
1Words Nearby blind alley
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use blind alley in a sentence
I cannot put my own case to the Admiralty although the machines are wanted for overland tactics—a fatal blind alley.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonThe imitation of foreigners is the dangerous blind alley into which our art has betaken itself.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard MutherIt darted around the blind-alley shelf and was back a moment later.
Space Prison | Tom GodwinBy the end of the Hospital of Santo Spirito there was a little blind alley bounded by a low wall.
The Eternal City | Hall CaineHe was at the end of a blind alley, where there was no light from any direction except that by which he had entered it.
Stand By The Union | Oliver Optic
British Dictionary definitions for blind alley
an alley open at one end only; cul-de-sac
informal a situation in which no further progress can be made
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with blind alley
A dead end; a position without hope of progress or success. For example, That line of questioning led the attorney up yet another blind alley. This term alludes to a street or alley that has no outlet at one end. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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