Question

in_the_loop_158 to realize something that was perhaps already apparent to others Similar to: see the light

Accepted Answer

DAWN ON (SOMEONE) I was surprised that there was so little traffic in the morning and that I was the first one to arrive at work. When no one else had shown up by 8:30, it finally dawned on me that it was a holiday.A man came to Tom’s house yesterday asking all sorts of questions about Tom’s schedule. I asked Tom why it hadn’t dawned on him that the man may have been a thief checking when Tom would be away from home. The expression suggests that the dawn reveals a situation. See the light simply means to understand, whereas dawn on someone suggests that one has been blind or slow to understand.

Id	in_the_loop_158
Idiom	DAWN ON (SOMEONE)
Definition	to realize something that was perhaps already apparent to others
Examples	I was surprised that there was so little traffic in the morning and that I was the first one to arrive at work. When no one else had shown up by 8:30, it finally dawned on me that it was a holiday. A man came to Tom’s house yesterday asking all sorts of questions about Tom’s schedule. I asked Tom why it hadn’t dawned on him that the man may have been a thief checking when Tom would be away from home.
Cross-Refs	Similar to: see the light
Extra Info	The expression suggests that the dawn reveals a situation. See the light simply means to understand, whereas dawn on someone suggests that one has been blind or slow to understand.

Dawn I Dawned Man Tom’s Tom Light Suggests