eyeball

(in) up to (one's) eye(ball)s

Extremely busy; deeply involved or engrossed (in or with something). I'd love to come for a pint, but I'm in up to my eyeballs with work for my class on Monday. John has been up to his eyes with the kids lately.
See also: up

be up to (one's) eyeballs in (something)

To have too much of something; to be overwhelmed by something. I'm still unpacking, so I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes. If any of my guys get hurt at the construction site, I'll be up to my eyeballs in paperwork.
See also: eyeball, up

be up to (one's) eyes in (something)

To have too much of something; to be overwhelmed by something. I'm still unpacking, so I'm up to my eyes in boxes. If any of my guys get hurt at the construction site, I'll be up to my eyes in paperwork.
See also: eye, up

drugged up to the eyeballs

Heavily under the influence of drugs. I don't remember anything from after my surgery—I was drugged up to the eyeballs!
See also: drug, eyeball, up

eyeball to eyeball

In direct contact; face to face or eye to eye. I had been trying to avoid my math teacher, but then I came eyeball to eyeball with her in the cafeteria. Only when I was eyeball to eyeball with Tim and we were screaming in each other's faces did I realize how much we needed to break up. Society is about to come eyeball to eyeball with a whole new set of problems brought on by technology.
See also: eyeball

eyeballs out

With as much physical effort as one can muster. You need to run this race eyeballs out if you want to beat your competitors.
See also: eyeball, out

get an eyeball on (someone or something)

To see or spot someone or something. The police are trying to find out if anyone got an eyeball on the suspect fleeing the scene.
See also: eyeball, get, on

give (one) the hairy eyeball

To look at one in a way that shows wariness or displeasure. I gave Gina the hairy eyeball when I overheard her gossiping about my best friend.
See also: eyeball, give, hairy

up to (one's) eyeballs (in something)

Extremely busy (with something); deeply or overly involved (in something); possessing, filled up with, or overwhelmed by an excessive amount (of something). There's no way I can take a vacation right now, I'm up to my eyeballs in work at the moment! I only intended to be peripherally involved in David's business venture, but, before I knew it, I was in up to my eyeballs! Dana was worried she wouldn't find any work as an accountant working for herself, but she's up to her eyeballs in clients!
See also: eyeball, up

up to the eyeballs (in something)

Extremely busy (with something); deeply or overly involved (in something); possessing, filled up with, or overwhelmed by an excessive amount (of something). There's no way I can take a vacation right now, I'm up to the eyeballs in work at the moment! I only meant to be peripherally involved in David's business venture, but, before I knew it, I was in up to the eyeballs! Dana was worried she wouldn't find any work as an accountant working for herself, but she's up to the eyeballs in clients!
See also: eyeball, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

eyeball-to-eyeball

Fig. face-to-face and often very close; in person. They approached each other eyeball-to-eyeball and frowned. Let's talk more when we are eyeball-to-eyeball.

*up to one's eyeballs

(in something) Go to up to one's neck (in something).
See also: eyeball, up

*up to one's neck (in something)

 and *up to one's ears (in something); *up to one's eyeballs (in something)
having a lot of something; Fig. very much involved in something; immersed in something. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) I can't come to the meeting. I'm up to my neck in these reports. Mary is up to her ears in her work. I am up to my eyeballs in things to do! I can't do any more!
See also: neck, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

eyeball to eyeball

Face to face; especially, about to begin a conflict. For example, We are eyeball to eyeball with the enemy, or In the playoffs we go eyeball to eyeball with the Yankees, or In the first debate our candidate's going eyeball to eyeball with his opponent. This term was originally used only in a military context but later entered civilian language, particularly in political or sports confrontations. [Colloquial; c. 1950]
See also: eyeball

up to one's ears

Also, in up to one's eyes or eyeballs or neck . Deeply involved; also, oversupplied, surfeited. For example, I'm up to my ears in work, or He's in up to his eyes with the in-laws. This hyperbolic and slangy idiom implies one is flooded with something up to those organs. The first was first recorded in 1839; up to the eyes in 1778; to the eyeballs in 1911; to the neck in 1856.
See also: ear, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

eyeball to eyeball

JOURNALISM
If two people are eyeball to eyeball, they are facing each other and are very close, usually while arguing or threatening each other. Stam went eyeball to eyeball with the linesman and can count himself lucky to have escaped a red card. Note: Eyeball-to-eyeball can also be used before a noun. It was a tough negotiation that led to eyeball-to-eyeball confrontations with union leaders.
See also: eyeball

drugged up to the eyeballs

If someone is drugged up to the eyeballs, they have taken a lot of drugs which have strongly affected them. He wasn't making much sense, lying in his hospital bed, drugged up to the eyeballs.
See also: drug, eyeball, up

up to your eyeballs

If you are up to your eyeballs in an unpleasant situation, you are very deeply involved in it. He was out of a job and up to his eyeballs in debt. I simply won't have the time — I'm up to my eyeballs in work.
See also: eyeball, up
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

eyeball to eyeball

face to face with someone, especially in an aggressive way.
See also: eyeball

eyeballs out

with maximum physical effort. informal
See also: eyeball, out

give someone the hairy eyeball

stare at someone in a disapproving or angry way, especially with your eyelids partially lowered. North American informal
1992 Guy Vanderhaeghe Things As They Are The commissioner giving him the hairy eyeball all through the service didn't do anything for Reg's increasing bad humour either.
See also: eyeball, give, hairy, someone

up to the (or your) eyeballs

used to emphasize the extreme degree of an undesirable situation or condition. informal
2000 Time Consumers are up to their eyeballs in debt, and the strain shows.
See also: eyeball, up
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

drugged up to the ˈeyeballs

have taken or been given a lot of drugs: She was drugged up to the eyeballs, but still in a lot of pain.
See also: drug, eyeball, up

ˌeyeball to ˈeyeball (with somebody)

(informal) standing very close, facing one another, for example in a fight: The two men stood eyeball to eyeball, shouting insults at each other.
See also: eyeball

be up to your ˈeyes/ˈeyeballs in something

have a lot of something to deal with: He was up to his eyes in debt.
See also: eye, eyeball, something, up

give somebody the hairy ˈeyeball

(American English, informal) look at somebody in a suspicious or disapproving way: When I say I’m into hunting, people either laugh or give me the hairy eyeball.
This refers to looking at somebody with your eyes slightly closed so that your eye is partly covered by your eyelashes.
See also: eyeball, give, hairy, somebody
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

eyeball

tv. to look hard at someone or something. The two eyeballed each other and walked on.

eyeball to eyeball

mod. face to face. Let’s talk more when we are eyeball to eyeball.
See also: eyeball

get an eyeball on someone/something

tv. to manage to spot someone or something; to catch sight of someone or something. When I finally got an eyeball on the speeding car, it was too far away for me to read the license plate.
See also: eyeball, get, on, someone, something

up to one’s eyeballs

and up to one’s ears
mod. filled up with something. We are up to our eyeballs with trouble around here. She’s up to her ears in marriage proposals.
See also: eyeball, up
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

up to (one's) neck

Deeply involved or occupied fully: I'm up to my neck in paperwork.
See also: neck, up
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • (in) up to (one's) eye(ball)s
  • up to eyeballs
  • up to one’s eyeballs
  • up to your eyeballs
  • up to your eyes
  • (in) up to (one's) elbows
  • a busy bee
  • busy bee
  • popcorn
  • (as) busy as popcorn on a skillet
References in periodicals archive
The team carefully mutated the MARK3 gene in Drosophila and its eyeball starts shrinking in lab, leading to the confirmation that this particular gene is responsible for the mysterious disease in Pakistan.
MARK3: Newly discovered gene causing blindness in Pakistan
After the eyeball is sterilised, a crosshair is lined up to the part of the membrane where the jewel will be placed
Doctor surgically implants heart-shaped platinum jewellery into woman's eyeball in 'pain-free' procedure; WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: Emil Chynn said he performs the nail-biting procedure only around once a year at the surgery in New York, US
The level of agreement for tumor grade between pairs of pathologist glass slide eyeball estimates was moderate to substantial ([kappa] values ranged from 0.42 to 0.63).
Validation of a Cytotechnologist Manual Counting Service for the Ki67 Index in Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Pancreas and Gastrointestinal Tract
There were conflicting reports on Tuesday as to whether the woman was holding only one or both of her eyeballs. Local station (http://www.wyff4.com/article/woman-found-holding-her-eyeballs-outside-upstate-church-deputies-say/16638994) WYFF reported that she was holding both, while an Associated Press report said she was holding only one of her eyeballs.
Woman Gouges Out Her Eyes Outside South Carolina Church
According to the method of spending leisure time, no statistically significant difference was reported within the individual subgroups in the development of eyeball length during the observed period, but statistically significant differences were ascertained (using the parametric repeated ANOVA analysis) in the eyeball initial length (time 1) within various groups.
Myopia Progression Risk: Seasonal and Lifestyle Variations in Axial Length Growth in Czech Children
Pain is just a fear and limitation in the mind." However, he adds the procedure was "like a red-hot needle entering your eyeball".
Photos: Indian man gets eyeballs tattooed
For replacement, the globe was cleaned with warm normal saline and Chloramphenicol ophthalmic ointment was applied to lubricate the eyeball and Allis tissue forceps were used to hold the eyelids and gentle pressure was applied to eyeball while simultaneously pulling on eyelids and proptosis was reduced and was followed by temporary tarsorraphy to retain the globe in position leaving some space at medial canthus for post-operative Chloramphenicol ophthalmic ointment application E-collar was advised to prevent self trauma.
Surgical Management of Proptosis of Eyeball - A Clinical Study of 15 Dogs
Both Surfline and Eyeball now offer surfers in the United Kingdom access to 15 live HD surf cameras, providing extensive coverage across the Cornish, Devon, Dorset and South Wales coastlines.
Surf Camera Specialist Surfline Acquires UK-based Eyeball Surfcheck
Shahadat Khan, Chief Strategy Officer of Eyeball. "We now have a stable, secure and standard foundation for deploying AnyFirewall Engine and Server for guaranteed firewall and NAT traversal into VoIP, video conferencing and many other Internet applications and services."
IETF Publishes TURN and ICE RFCs for NAT Traversal
EYEBALLS (above) A TINNED lychee stuffed with a red grape or cherry looks like an eyeball floating in your drink.
Scarily tasty tipples to try..
Eyeball Networks has launched AnyFirewall Engine v9.6, and AnyFirewall Server v9.6 with support for RFC 6544: ICE-TCP, enhancing reliable VoIP and video telephony connectivity to millions of devices and end users.
EYEBALL NETWORKS LAUNCHES ANYFIREWALL SOLUTION V9.6
The country's mainstream political parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Awami Muslim League, that came eyeball to eyeball in the election campaign, got together at the invitation of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Political big-wigs catch up at luncheon for Chinese Premier
A medical magazine report about an Iranian with a hairy eyeball has drawn unusual attention to an unusual condition.
Hairy eyeball in Tabriz draws a lot of attention
All eyes were on Pompano Beach, Florida, last month, when this mysterious baseball-size blue eyeball washed ashore from the Atlantic Ocean.
All eyes were on Pompano Beach, Florida
A GIANT eyeball that washed up on a beach has baffled scientists.
looking Here's squid at you,