to see daylight
1
5.8
- idiom
- Informal
- I see daylight already in Mitt Romney's changed position.
Examples
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And they'll be lucky to see daylight after we leave.
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I was beginning to see daylight.
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I have never seen daylight since I started working for Simon.
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I'm seeing daylight out of this.
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I take it you've not seen daylight today?
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I can see daylight!
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SCULLY: The Dodgers, nine games back and left for dead just 30 days ago, can see daylight now.
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I see daylight.
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Narrator: When Scrooge awoke, he was so happy to see daylight that he laughed out loud.
Fiction book (1998) -
After weeks of working hard, she finally began to see daylight in her challenging project.
Synonyms
57
3.6
To begin to be understood and become clear
55
5.0
To understand something important and change for the better
17
3.9
A sign that a hard time will soon end or get better
6
3.4
Seem likely to do well or get better
1
4.1
To focus on the good parts of a situation instead of the bad
Antonyms
How Hopeful
Surface Forms
Morphology
see + daylight
The verb 'see' (perceive) combined with 'daylight' (literal light of day) yields a metaphor of finding clarity or an escape, so a learner who knows the constituents can often infer a general sense of 'finding clarity' or 'a way out'. However, the mapping from physical daylight to abstract hope/relief is metaphorical and culturally mediated, so the precise idiomatic sense may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The verb see daylight comes from a simple image: after being in darkness or a long tunnel, finally seeing daylight meant you were out of trouble. So, to see daylight now means 'to feel hope or find a clear way forward'.