A device or cover that blocks sight, especially a leather flap worn on a horse's bridle to prevent it from seeing to the sides.
From Old English 'blind' (unable to see) plus the agent noun suffix '-er' (one who does or something that does). The term originally referred to anything that blinds or obscures vision, but became most associated with horse equipment.
Horse blinders are a brilliant example of how we use equipment to control attention—they force horses to focus straight ahead. That's why we now call any information or perspective that limits someone's view 'blinders,' like being 'stuck in your blinders' about a topic!
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