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

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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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