Post by Kevin70sTo me as a non-native speaker of English, what's "obvious" is being
seen every day, so why is there a tremendous glimpse of the obvious?
Could you give me some examples or case scenarios where you would say
"I get a tremendous glimpse of the obvious"? Thanks.
1. To say sarcastically that a statement is a "blinding glimpse of the
obvious" sometimes means that it conveys information that everybody
ought to know already, and is therefore (or should be) redundant.
To say "It's a bad idea to run with scissors" is to provide a blinding
glimpse of the obvious.
2. It is sometimes used to convey the idea that a person has had a
sudden flash of insight, has suddenly noticed a fact or possibility
which, although plainly visible (obvious), has not been spotted
previously by anyone.
"Prof Joshua Silver hopes his design will enable a billion people
in the developing world to receive spectacles for the first time
within just over a decade.
A retired Oxford University physics professor, he came up with the
idea in what he describes as a "glimpse of the obvious".
His adaptive glasses are designed to be "tuned" by the wearer to suit
their eyes without the need for a prescription and can help both short-
sighted and long-sighted people.
He set on the idea of developing an adjustable spectacle after a
chance conversation in 1985 when he and a colleague were discussing
optical lenses."