blind alley

noun

1. a road, alley, etc., that is open at only one end.

2. a position or situation offering no hope of progress or improvement.

   That line of reasoning will only lead you up another blind alley.

blind alley

noun

1. an alley open at one end only; cul-de-sac

2. informal,  a situation in which no further progress can be made

Word History and Origins

Origin of blind alley¹

First recorded in 1575–85

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Once outside, we catch a glimpse of tapping heels ducking down a blind alley and it looks like the back of our crowd.

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As a viewer begins to realize, these blind alleys, pun intended, are going to lead nowhere.

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Davies said he was just asking people's views, but his predecessor Lord Bourne warned the party against going down a "blind alley".

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The Welsh Conservative's Senedd leader has been warned against going down a "blind alley" of trying to debate the abolition of the Welsh Parliament.

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In many cases, the threat of costly legal action can silence critics, leaving the scientific record uncorrected, which risks other researchers wasting funding by chasing down blind alleys.

Read more on Science Magazine