shut one’s eyes —(also: close one’s eyes) pretend that one has no knowledge of smth.; ignore smth.:
- He preferred to shut his eyes on the matter rather than to fight for his point of view.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase get some shut-eye—(sl.) get some sleep:
- I’ve been working all day long; I have to get some shut-eye.
shut your eyes and think of England —(also: close your eyes and think of England) a humorous advice to smb. faced with an unpleasant task (originally a wedding-night advice for Victorian brides to succumb to unwanted sex):
- When you’re staring down the barrel of a gun you can shut your eyes and think of England—or you can grasp it with both hands…