to not see straight
6
7.0
- idiom
:
no ver con claridad
- He was so angry about the situation that he couldn't see straight to make a rational decision.
- so not see straight
- not see straight anymore
Examples
-
That night, that terrible night... I... I wanted you so much, I couldn't see straight.
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Why, I was so crazy in love with that girl I couldn't see straight.
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'Cause I can't see straight.
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But I couldn't see straight or think straight.
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No, she'd stay here in the lab and work on her 7355 study until she couldn't see straight.
Fiction book (1992) -
I was so jealous of you I couldn’t see straight !
-
"You go blind, you'll appreciate good food," he said. "I'm hungry, I'm so hungry I can't see straight."
Fiction book (1990) -
After staying up all night studying, I was so exhausted that I couldn't see straight during my test.
-
When she heard the shocking news, she was so overwhelmed that she couldn't see straight for a moment.
Synonyms
38
3.5
To use your mind clearly without being confused
1
6.4
To become very upset and unable to think clearly
To get very confused and unable to think clearly
Antonyms
How Clearheaded
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'see' (perceive/understand) combined with 'straight' can plausibly be interpreted as 'see clearly/directly', so a learner who knows the constituents could infer a sense of clear perception. However, the phrase's usual use to mean inability to think or judge clearly (especially in contexts like exhaustion or anger) is a metaphorical extension of the physical sense and may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Not see straight comes from the simple image of someone whose eyes cannot see things straight, so shapes look blurred or mixed up. So when you are very tired, angry, or confused and your thoughts are messy, people say you not see straight, meaning 'unable to think clearly'.