(as) blind as a bat

1. Unable to see at all. After neglecting his vision for years, my grandfather became blind as a bat, unable to even see shadows. A: "Didn't Emily get hit by a car and end up blind as a bat?" B: "Yeah, so she could leave town to search for a cure—typical soap opera story. They had to write her out somehow." Doc, I'll do anything—surgery, drugs, you name it! Anything to keep from becoming blind as a bat.

2. Having poor vision. I've worn glasses for 20 years, so I'm as blind as a bat now. Because I'm blind as a bat, I always knew there was a good chance my daughter would need glasses too. That's not a cat, it's a trashcan! Geez, you really are blind as a bat!

3. Oblivious to something. Are you blind as a bat? Those two have been flirting all afternoon! You must be as blind as a bat if you don't see the problem with this plan. Come on, I'm not blind as a bat. I know you two have been scheming behind my back this whole time.

(as) blind as a beetle

dated

1. Unable to see well or at all. My grandfather was born blind as a beetle, so he's never known what anything truly looks like. I've worn glasses for 20 years—I'm as blind as a beetle without them! That's not a cat, it's a trashcan! Geez, you really are blind as a beetle!

2. Totally oblivious to something. Are you blind as a beetle? Those two have been flirting all afternoon! You must be as blind as a beetle if you don't see the problem with this plan. Come on, I'm not blind as a beetle. I know you two have been scheming behind my back this whole time.

(as) blind as a mole

dated

1. Unable to see well or at all. My grandfather was born blind as a mole, so he's never known what anything truly looks like. I've worn glasses for 20 years—I'm as blind as a mole without them! That's not a cat, it's a trashcan! Geez, you really are blind as a mole!

2. Totally oblivious to something. Are you blind as a mole? Those two have been flirting all afternoon! You must be as blind as a mole if you don't see the problem with this plan. Come on, I'm not blind as a mole. I know you two have been scheming behind my back this whole time.

beetlebrain

A stupid person. Did you hear that guy's ridiculous question? Geez, what a beetlebrain. Geez, he keeps pulling on a door that's clearly marked "push"—what a beetlebrain. Oh, right, like I would listen to a beetlebrain like him!

ground beetle

Any of several families of beetles that are primarily found on or near the ground. Milly screamed and ran across the back yard after she overturned a stone and disrupted a group of ground beetles. I'm terrified of bugs, so I was, uh, not thrilled when my little boy started poking a ground beetle with a stick. Ground beetles can do whatever they want outside, but they are not welcome in my basement!

beetle

n. the original Volkswagen automobile. I remember when people used to put big windup keys on their beetles to make them look like windup toys.

beetlebrain

(ˈbidlæbren)

n. a stupid person. Why are you such a beetlebrain when it comes to math?

blind as a bat/beetle/mole

Totally blind, or, figuratively, unseeing. None of these animals is, by the way, truly blind. The bat flies about in the dark in seemingly erratic paths (see bats in one’s belfry), and the beetle and mole burrow through the ground. Nevertheless, these similes are quite old and have become clichés. The bat analogy dates from the sixteenth century at least (John Harvey); the mole and beetle similes come from Roman times and were cited in translations by Erasmus.