lamps

Related to lamps: floor lamps

lamps

dated slang One's eyes. It seemed like the fire went out of his lamps months ago—I hope everything's all right. The poor girl was so tired she could barely keep her lamps open.
See also: lamp
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

lamps

n. the eyes. (Crude.) His lamps are closed. He’s asleep or dead.
See also: lamp
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • at (one's) doorstep
  • at doorstep
  • be written all over (one's) face
  • be written all over somebody's face
  • be written all over your face
  • at one's door
  • at (one's) door
  • at door
  • at (one's) expense
  • at someone's expense
References in classic literature
Walk on till you come to a niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains and bring it to me."
Aladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruit off the trees, and, having got the lamp, arrived at the mouth of the cave.
"It strikes me," said he, pulling down the lamp, "our friend Imray has come back.
Moving the lamp as the man moved, I made out that he was substantially dressed, but roughly; like a voyager by sea.
Ralph stood still for a moment to light his pipe beneath a lamp.
An hour later the lamps blazed in Kadlu's house; snow-water was heating; the pots were beginning to simmer, and the snow was dripping from the roof, as Amoraq made ready a meal for all the village, and the boy-baby in the hood chewed at a strip of rich nutty blubber, and the hunters slowly and methodically filled themselves to the very brim with seal-meat.
Doctor Manette, whom this visitation had so turned into stone, that be stood with the lamp in his band, as if be woe a statue made to hold it, moved after these words were spoken, put the lamp down, and confronting the speaker, and taking him, not ungently, by the loose front of his red woollen shirt, said:
Then she could make out that he tried his key--that he was blowing into it-- that he knocked it on the nearest post to beat the dust out--that he took it under a lamp to look at it--that he poked bits of stick into the lock to clear it--that he peeped into the keyhole, first with one eye, and then with the other--that he tried the key again-- that he couldn't turn it, and what was worse, couldn't get it out-- that he bent it--that then it was much less disposed to come out than before--that he gave it a mighty twist and a great pull, and then it came out so suddenly that he staggered backwards--that he kicked the door--that he shook it--finally, that he smote his forehead, and sat down on the step in despair.
he don't get a lamp!" (a remark which I never made.)
And what's more -- if I was one of them I would see a man in Jericho before I would drop my business and come to him for the rub- bing of an old tin lamp."
"You will know by and by," replied the man who held the lamp.
Standing on the inner side of the tapestry, I found myself in a dark recess or passage, at the end of which a ray of light from the lamp showed me a closed door.
As she did so, on holding up the lamp we perceived that a mass of stone was rising slowly from the floor and vanishing into the rock above, where doubtless there is a cavity prepared to receive it.
The Medical Man rose, came to the lamp, and examined the flowers.
Never was a more lovely thought than that of the astral lamp. We mean, of course, the astral lamp proper - the lamp of Argand, with its original plain ground-glass shade, and its tempered and uniform moonlight rays.