Overview
Nelson
Quick Reference
Name of the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), used in a number of phrases.
Nelson touch a masterly or sympathetic approach to a problem, with allusion to the skills of Admiral Horatio Nelson. The expression was coined by Nelson himself, in a letter of 25 September 1805.
Nelson's blood rum, as formerly officially issued in the Navy.
Nelson's Column a memorial to Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, London, consisting of a column 58 metres (170 feet) high surmounted by his statue.
Nelson's Pillar a monument in Dublin, erected 1808–9, which was blown up by Republicans in 1966.
turn a Nelson eye turn a blind eye to, overlook, pretend ignorance of. The allusion is to the battle of Copenhagen in 1801, when the signal ‘discontinue the action’ was hoisted; Nelson is said to have clapped his telescope to his blind eye, and declared that he could not see the signal.