where does the saying turn a blind eye come from
Turning a blind eye The phrase to turn a blind eye is attributed to an incident in the life of Admiral Horatio Nelson. Nelson was blinded in one eye early in his Royal Navy career. During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 the cautious Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in overall command of the British forces, sent a signal to Nelson's forces ordering them to discontinue the action. Naval orders were transmitted via a system of signal flags at that time. When this order was brought to the more aggressive Nelson's attention, he lifted his telescope up to his blind eye, saying, "I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal," and most of his forces continued to press home the attack.[1][2] The frigates supporting the line-of-battle ships did break off, in one case suffering severe losses in the retreat.[3]
Never Let You Go (Third Eye Blind song) Jenkins comments in the liner notes of the band's compilation album, A Collection, that it was written about a muse of his at the time (allegedly Charlize Theron), and it was written to 'freak her out' when she heard it on the radio.