Meanings
- Someone is suddenly able to see a situation clearly.
In government, meanwhile, Theresa May is the first home secretary in memory not to have appeared petrified of the police, while for many in her party, Plebgate was the moment at which the scales fell from their eyes as far as the cops were concerned.
2015 August 7, Marina Hyde, “Forget law and order: today’s police officers dream of going viral”, in The Guardian
Origin
From Acts 9:18.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish suomut putoavat silmiltä
- suomut putoavat silmiltäsomeone is suddenly able to see a situation clearly
German jemandem fällt es wie Schuppen von den Augen
- jemandem fällt es wie Schuppen von den Augensomeone is suddenly able to see a situation clearly
Swedish fjällen falla från någons ögon
- fjällen falla från någons ögonsomeone is suddenly able to see a situation clearly
Cite this entry
scales fall from someone's eyes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scales%20fall%20from%20someone's%20eyes
“scales fall from someone's eyes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scales%20fall%20from%20someone's%20eyes. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scales fall from someone's eyes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scales%20fall%20from%20someone's%20eyes.
Source: scales fall from someone's eyes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.