English

Verb

make a better door than a window

1. (idiomatic) To obstruct someone's view, especially as a result of thoughtlessness.
   • 1986, Tony Ardizzone, The Evening News, ISBN 9780820308609, p. 27 (Google preview):

     “You're blocking the picture,” Maria says. . . . “You make a better door than a window.”

   • 1996 Feb. 20, Francis X. Clines, "Judgments On Politics, Primaries, Pancakes," New York Times (retrieved 18 July 2015):

     She griped fetchingly at a clot of news workers who blocked her view. "You make a better door than a window, kid," she told one reporter.

   • 2014 Nov. 5, Jack Lakey, "Advertising poster blocks drivers' view," Toronto Star (Canada) (retrieved 18 July 2015):

     An advertising poster on a transit shelter makes a better door than a window, when trying to spot oncoming traffic.

Usage notes

• Often used in the second person — "You make a better door than a window" — as a tactful way of asking a person to move aside so that one may see.