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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Term “Blind Alley” Come From and What Does the Expression Mean?

Where Did the Term “Blind Alley” Come From and What Does the Expression Mean?

June 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

Have you ever heard the Biblical quotation about how a rich man’s chances of getting to heaven are about the same as a camel passing through the eye of a needle?

An eye is an ancient reference to an opening in a wall or a gate, because you could see through it.

If there is an obstruction, or in the case of the alley, a wall, then there is no “eye” to see or escape through, it is a blind alley.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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