blind leading the blind

the blind leading the blind

A situation in which incompetent or ignorant people are guided or taught by an equally incompetent or ignorant person. Don't ask me to tutor someone in algebra because it would be the blind leading the blind. That project stalled as soon as it became a case of the blind leading the blind—no one knew what they were doing!
See also: blind, leading
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

blind leading the blind

Those lacking the skills or knowledge for something are being guided by equally inept individuals. For example, Bill's teaching his son carpentry; that's a case of the blind leading the blind. The expression is found in the New Testament as one of Jesus's teachings (Matthew 15:14; Luke 6:39). [c. 1600]
See also: blind, leading
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

blind leading the blind, the

Those who try to teach or guide others, even though they know no more than their pupils. The phrase comes from the Bible, presented as one of Jesus’s teachings in the books of Matthew (15:14) and Luke (6:39). It is quoted by numerous writers thereafter and is a proverb in John Heywood’s collection in 1546: “Where the blynd leadth the blynd, both fall in the dike.”
See also: blind, leading
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • blind leading the blind, the
  • the blind leading the blind
  • a case of the blind leading the blind
  • case of the blind leading the blind
  • butt-head
  • butt-face
  • clue stick
  • clue-by-four
  • left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
References in periodicals archive
Meanwhile, Wolf in the Winter will create "an intervention inspired by Bruegel's Blind Leading the Blind, a painting of six ragged figures stumbling across a rural landscape".
But the suspicion will be that at least some of the time, we have the blind leading the blind. That, to the enemies of state education, will be seen as another clear indictment of the system.
"It was like blind leading the blind," said Lyn Eliot from Dubai.
* DUO: Ian Lightfoot's The Blind Leading The Blind and Carole D Allick's Lighthouse
So in a sense, it is a case of the blind leading the blind, with people's lives in the balance as governments go through the process of trial and error.
Blind leading the blind BRITAIN'S newest racecourse at Ffos Las is doing its bit to be all-inclusive, The Dikler hears.
It could almost be a case of the blind leading the blind except that we can see, unlike you dogmatists, whose search for a non-existent nirvana means the destruction of so much which is good about our society.
Non-dermatologists referring skin samples to general pathologists for evaluation is like "the blind leading the blind" and often leads to misdiagnosis and poor patient care, said Dr.
But in Domenico Fett's The Blind Leading the Blind the unfortunate souls fall around in front of a beautiful church and tower, and in Giuseppe Maria Crespi's The Flea a woman searches for the insect in her clothing in an idealised setting where a small dog slumbers on the bed and cheeky Peeping Toms look in through a window.
It's not quite the blind leading the blind, but on June 2 at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston's historic Fenway neighborhood, sighted runners will have the unique opportunity to experience life as a visually impaired athlete as part of the Blindfold Challenge at the 2007 Vision 5K road race.
"When you're married at 16 and pregnant at 17, it's like the blind leading the blind," says Flowers, mother of Michael, 22, and Jasmine, 14.
* Blind leading the blind: If your "local computer guy" really understands your business, consider yourself lucky.
The first of the three analyses can result in the "blind leading the blind" and often contributes to the severe peaks and troughs the industry has experienced in its underwriting cycle.
level is rather a case of the blind leading the blind. Academics, journos and others tapped include Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky, who have become the leftie-skewing docu field's equivalent of studio contract players.
THE DAILY BARRAGE OF news stories about the fundamental failure of both our statewide educational system and the legislative body that is responsible for overseeing it--case of the blind leading the blind if ever there was one--almost makes it seem like there is nothing "positive" going on in Arkansas.