MovieChat Forums > None But the Lonely Heart (1944) Discussion > the colloquial British expression 'to bl...

the colloquial British expression 'to blind [someone] with science'


cary grant uses this phrase in this movie. only other time i've heard this expression was in thomas dolby's one-hit wonder by the same name.

"the colloquial British expression "to blind [someone] with science", meaning to deliberately confuse someone by giving the impression of highly complex knowledge. In the song, however, the phrase is interpreted as a straightforward reference to the natural sciences." Wikipedia




"We deal in lead, friend."

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IIRC I believe it has to do with a woman's ability to blind a man, get his attention and affection, through the "chemistry" of hormones (and/or make up, perfume and the like).

Darling, I am trouble of the most spectacular kind!

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I've never heard that expression used to refer to actual 'chemistry' or in a gender contest. It usually refers to fake technical dialogue used to make a disingenuous point.

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To be picky I wouldn't say that the information given has to be necessarily fake. (It could, for example, only be giving one side of the story.)

It's simply a matter of the speaker/writer using such a dense, arcane, convoluted or jargon-laden explanation that the listener/reader is confused - often to the point of declining to make a judgement they would be able to make perfectly well if the explanation were clearer.
The information used doesn't have to be fake, just so baffling to the recipient that they feel unable to make an informed decision or make a different decision to the one they would have made if the situation was made clear.
I'm not sure it has to be deliberate either, it could happen accidentally, but it usually is deliberate with the intention of the "blinder" getting their own way.

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