Expressing that someone is missing the obvious

To point out that someone fails to notice something clearly visible or evident to others

When someone overlooks an obvious solution, when someone fails to notice a change in the surroundings, when someone does not recognise an evident fact

everyday conversations, informal chats, casual encounters

Tomaten auf den Augen haben

Tomaten auf den Augen haben

No substitution slots; the entire phrase is fixed

• overlook
• blind
• not notice

• Tomaten auf den Augen tragen (same meaning
• different verb)
• die Augen vor etwas verschließen (more literal)
• etwas nicht sehen (general expression)

using singular “Tomate” instead of “Tomaten”, omitting the article (“Tomaten auf Augen haben”), wrong word order (“auf den Augen Tomaten haben”), using the idiom in formal texts

not see the forest for the trees, blind as a mole, close one's eyes to the truth, see clearly (opposite)

Learners may translate the phrase word‑for‑word into English as “tomatoes on the eyes,” which sounds odd; remember it is an idiomatic German expression, not a literal description.

• not see the forest for the trees
• buy a cat in a sack
• hit the nail on the head

colloquial, slightly mocking; usually used in informal conversations and unsuitable for formal situations

marks the speaker's statement as a critical but humorous hint at the interlocutor's blindness

tomatoes on eyes

Das Idiom wird vor allem mündlich verwendet, häufig mit einem nachdrücklichen Tonfall oder einer Frage („Hast du Tomaten auf den Augen?“).

overlook the obvious fact