sight unseen

Idioms  

1. Without having viewed the object in question, as in He bought the horse sight unseen. This seeming oxymoron—how can a sight, which means something seen, be not seen?—dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Jayla never thought she’d buy a house pretty much sight unseen, much less one off the coast of Italy.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2026

“I called and said, ‘I have experience at Macy’s doing Christmas,’ and they literally gave me the job sight unseen over the phone because experience at Macy’s had so much clout,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

Decades since Luna Luna was packed away, Goldberg rallied a team of investors to buy what might be left of the exhibition from the foundation - sight unseen.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024

“We’re not going to pass, sight unseen, such a monstrous proposition in 48 hours. That’s nuts,” Seitz said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2023

So I fall back on the support networks of my real-life social class, call the dermatologist I know in Key West, and bludgeon him into prescribing something sight unseen.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich