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      • The idiom 'hindsight is 20/20' is predominantly a product of 20th-century English-speaking culture. While the exact origins are difficult to trace, popular belief largely attributes its rise to the mid-1900s.
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  2. Aug 1, 2023 · Where Does 'Hindsight Is 20/20' Come From? The idiom 'hindsight is 20/20' is predominantly a product of 20th-century English-speaking culture. While the exact origins are difficult to trace, popular belief largely attributes its rise to the mid-1900s.

    • Usage
    • Examples of Use
    • Origin

    It is important to understand the intent of this idiom. In other words, what are we trying to say when we use it? It is not intended to reference the value of hindsight, but to point out that nobody can predict the future while anyone can look back on past events with perfect clarity. We cannot always know the consequences of our choices but after ...

    “I shouldn’t have opened a business with a relative. Oh, well, hindsight is 20/20.” “Hindsight being 20/20, I would have done things differently in my youth.” “I know hindsight is always 20/20 but if I could do things over I wouldn’t have stopped playing music.”

    Since the Snellen vision testing chart was developed during the 1860s this idiom must have occured some time after. The earliest known examples in print date from 1949 and 1951. More Idioms Starting with H 1. Hit the Bottle 2. Hide Out 3. Home is Where the Heart Is 4. Have a Sweet Tooth 5. Hand Something on a Silver Platter More Vision Related Idio...

  3. May 9, 2022 · The expression "hindsight is 20-20" comes from the creation of the "Snellen Chart," published in 1862. The Snellen Chart is a tool for measuring a person's visual acuity. A person with 20-20 vision has excellent acuity. If they stand 20-feet from a chart, they can read the rows of letters.

  4. Dec 9, 2023 · Tracing back to the early 20th century, this idiom draws from the optometry term ’20/20 vision’, signifying sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance of 20 feet. Derived Terms: Related expressions such as ‘Monday morning quarterback’ and ‘armchair critic’ have stemmed from this concept, highlighting the ease of making judgments ...

  5. May 28, 2021 · Origin. What's the origin of Hindsight is 20/20? The Snellen chart, which most people recognize today as the rows of letters in varying sizes at the doctor’s office was developed by Herman Snellen in 1862.

  6. Jan 12, 2021 · As mentioned above, 20/20 has to do with vision and comes from the field of ophthalmology. The numbers refer to visual acuity, or the clarity and sharpness of eyesight. An ophthalmologist measures visual acuity using an eye chart. The most commonly used eye chart is the Snellen chart.

  7. Sep 30, 2020 · The expression hindsight is 20/20 is usually said in answer to an admonishment that the person should have known something would happen, or that the person made a bad decision ( www.grammarist.com ). I don’t know about you, but the pandemic has indeed felt like an admonishment.

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