Sauter aux yeux

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French Expression

Meaning	to be obvious, to be strikingly evident, to stick out a mile
Literally	to leap to the eyes
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[so tay o zyeu]
IPA		[so te zo jø]

Usage notes: When something is obvious, your eyes are drawn to it, or rather – according to the French expression sauter aux yeux – it is drawn to your eyes.

You can use this idiomatic expression in reference to visible objects as well as intangibilities like truth and feelings.

Par exemple…

Elle est malade, cela saute aux yeux.		She’s obviously sick; It’s blindingly obvious that she’s sick.
Deux fautes de frappe m’ont immédiatement sauté aux yeux.		Two typos immediately leapt off the page at me.
Avec du recul, la vérité sautait aux yeux.		In hindsight, the truth was blindingly obvious.

Synonyms

• c’est clair
• c’est évident
• crever les yeux – ça crève les yeux (literally, “that bursts the eyes”)
• évidemment – obviously

 Related lessons

• Sauter conjugations
• Parts of the body
• Aux and other contractions