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blind as a bat

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bat

2[bat]
–noun
1. any of numerous flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, of worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate regions, having modified forelimbs that serve as wings and are covered with a membranous skin extending to the hind limbs.
2. blind as a bat, nearly or completely blind; having very poor vision: Anyone can tell that he's blind as a bat, but he won't wear glasses.
3. have bats in one's belfry, Informal. to have crazy ideas; be very peculiar, erratic, or foolish: If you think you can row across the ocean in that boat, you have bats in your belfry.

Origin:
1570–75; appar. < Scand; cf. dial. Sw natt-batta, var. of OSw natt-bakka night-bat; r. ME bakke (< Scand), ME balke for *blake < Scand; cf. dial. Sw natt-blacka


batlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Slang Dictionary
bat

  1. n.
    a drinking bout. : She was on a bat that lasted over a week.
  2. n.
    a drunkard; a person on a drinking spree. : A tired old bat—still waving a bottle—met me on the stairs.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

bat  (n1.)
"a stick," O.E. *batt "cudgel," perhaps from Celtic (cf. Ir. and Gael. bat, bata "staff, cudgel"), infl. by O.Fr. batte, from L.L. battre "beat," all from PIE base *bhat- "to strike." As a kind of paddle used to play cricket, it is attested from 1706.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bat
Pronunciation: 'bat
Function: noun
: any of an order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal placental flying mammals with forelimbs modified to form wings
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

blind as a bat

Quite blind; also, unaware. For example, Without my glasses I'm blind as a bat, or I had no idea they wanted me to take over his job; I was blind as a bat. This simile, based on the erroneous idea that the bat's erratic flight means it cannot see properly, has survived even though it is now known that bats have a sophisticated built-in sonar system. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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