Wordnet 3.0
VERB (2)
1.
catch unawares, especially with harmful consequences;
- Example: "The economic downturn blindsided many investors"2.
attack or hit on or from the side where the attacked person's view is obstructed;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
blindside \blindside\, v. t.
to attack a person from his blind side; metaphorically, to
give a person an unpleasant suprise. He had completed his
plan to develop a new office building, but was blindsided by
the sudden drop in real estate values.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
blindside
v 1: catch unawares, especially with harmful consequences; "The
economic downturn blindsided many investors"
2: attack or hit on or from the side where the attacked person's
view is obstructed