can't see beyond the end of one's nose
can't see beyond the end of (one's) nose
Is preoccupied with oneself and unable to notice or focus on anything else. Of course she's oblivious to the growing homeless population in our city—she can't see beyond the end of her nose.
See also: beyond, end, nose, of, see
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
can't see beyond the end of one's nose
Also, can't see farther than the end of one's nose. Lack foresight, envisioning only immediate events or problems, as in Thomas hasn't hired an orchestra for the Christmas concert; he just can't see beyond the end of his nose . This expression originated as a French proverb that was frequently cited in English from about 1700 on. Alexander Pope used a similar expression in his Essay on Man (1734): "Onward still he goes, Yet ne'er looks forward further than his nose."
See also: beyond, end, nose, of, see
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
can't see beyond the end of one's nose
Shortsighted, unable to grasp anything but the immediate problem or events. The term was a sixteenth-century French proverb cited by several English writers. It later appeared in one of La Fontaine’s fables, The Fox and the Goat, and in a couplet in Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man (1734): “Onward still he goes, Yet ne’er looks forward further than his nose.”
See also: beyond, end, nose, of, see
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- wash (one's) hands of (someone or something)
- wash hands of
- wash one's hands of
- wash your hands of
- wash your hands of somebody/something
- wash your hands of something/someone
- for (one's) (own) sake
- for sake
- keep in sight
- keep sight of somebody/something