rose-tinted spectacles

rose-tinted spectacles

An unduly idealistic, optimistic, sentimental, or wistful perspective on or about something. Primarily heard in UK. I know Sarah looks on our childhood with rose-tinted spectacles, but I can't put aside how difficult my parents' failing marriage was for all of us. Despite doing worse every quarter for the last two years, our boss keeps seeing the business through rose-tinted spectacles. You need to take off your rose-tinted spectacles for a moment and realise that there are serious problems in the world that need fixing.
See also: spectacle
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

rose-tinted spectacles

or

rose-tinted glasses

or

rose-coloured glasses

COMMON If someone sees something or someone through rose-tinted spectacles or rose-coloured glasses, they only notice the good things about them and so their view is unrealistic. Note: `Rose-coloured' is spelled `rose-colored' in American English. He accused diplomats of looking at the world through rose-tinted spectacles. I realise we all tend to see our children through rose-tinted glasses. Real estate broker Tom Foye believes that many buyers tend to look at houses with rose-colored glasses. Consequently, they end up feeling cheated.
See also: spectacle
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • rose-colored glasses
  • rose-coloured spectacles
  • rose-tinted glasses
  • wear rose-colored glasses
  • slave
  • slave to
  • be a slave of (something)
  • be a slave to (something)
  • be a slave to/of something
  • be no love lost between (two people)
References in periodicals archive
Renovation is just too costly Whilst I applaud Councillor Brookfield's optimism regarding the never-ending renovation of Wolverhampton Civic Hall, I feel that he is viewing things through rose-tinted spectacles.
SIR, - I found the Campbell Gunn assessment of the popularity of the SNP (P&J, June 11) a complete distortion of facts, and surely a view only to himself while wearing rose-tinted spectacles.
Rose-tinted spectacles still off, I often reflect on the close-knit nature of the old communities where people looked out for each other in a much more instinctive and caring way than possibly we do now.
Graham, a man who does not don rose-tinted spectacles when considering the past, sees the 1960s music scene for what it was: more grind than glitter.
Friendships that are really important as we have grown up together, reminisce about "the good old days", we do wear rose-tinted spectacles now and have slowed to a comfortable pace when out walking!
COLOURED LENSES Another consequence of the Nineties revival (will it ever end?), we're seeing more rose-tinted spectacles in the shops.
YOUR recent article on Spain in the 1930s has been written looking through rose-tinted spectacles. Spain was in danger of become a Marxist state through left wing infiltration of its elected Socialist government.
He added: "There are some rose-tinted spectacles about teams that have been put out by both countries over the years.
| If Back In Time For Dinner (BBC2, Tuesday) showed anything it is that history is best viewed through rose-tinted spectacles. The Robshaw family were transported back to the 1950s, an era often viewed as halcyon days for the family where things were simple - mum cooking in the kitchen, dad at work, coming home to a cooked meal, kids reading a good book.
And when that person isn't there any more, the tendency is to put on those rose-tinted spectacles and focus on all the good things you remember about them.
* A pair of rose-tinted spectacles was among the late Jimmy Savile's belongings that were auctioned yesterday
Prepare to have those rose-tinted spectacles snatched off your head and stomped all over.
London, Nov 17 (ANI): A news study has found that brains of happy people appear to respond more strongly to positive things in their environment than others, explaining why some folk seem to go about wearing rose-tinted spectacles.
You will always get those who sit and watch games through rose-tinted spectacles.
"But not being one-eyed, not wearing rose-tinted spectacles, I still, still believe that this is a very, very good England side, a very powerful England side.