20-20 hindsight


Also found in: Idioms.
Perfect understanding of an event after it has happened; - a term usually used with sarcasm in response to criticism of one's decision, implying that the critic is unfairly judging the wisdom of the decision in light of information that was not available when the decision was made.

See also: hindsight

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by G. & C. Merriam Co.
References in periodicals archive ?
I was wrong, 20-20 hindsight suggests the Bears' defense just might have won it all alone if they had to.
But, using 20-20 hindsight, we should have seen it coming.
It's 20-20 hindsight to say he should have picked his strongest side, but we knew Belgian coach Roberto Martinez was planning wholesale changes: If England really, really wanted to win the group, surely Southgate would have selected his best XI.
While what the Governor is now advocating has little to do with our original concept with 20-20 hindsight we know this much.<br />Simply, if Cuomo refuses to accept our decade-old call for a public private partnership (P3) required to finance a Long Island Sound Tunnel then this is all so much shadow boxing.
But the real reason to watch "Trumped" takes the form of a question: On the campaign trail, where his candidacy was rarely taken seriously by the mainstream media (until it was), and where a great many people believed that he could never win (until he did), does Trump look different in 20-20 hindsight?
"Unfortunately the execution of it, with 20-20 hindsight, could have been better considered, but it was a gesture from all involved to say let's try and help to make the show more attractive, and mix up the grid, but it had a detrimental effect."
with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight he still can't recall a single game or incident that struck him as unusual.
Jurors will be asked to decide if Sether's action was "objectively reasonable under the circumstances, from the perspective of a reasonable police officer on the scene at that time, and not with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight," Schmidt said.
"With 20-20 hindsight and all that has followed, I would not have offered him the job and I expect that he wouldn't have taken it.