eye
an eagle eye: seeeagle.
the evil eye: seeevil.
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth used to refer to the belief that retaliation in kind is the appropriate way to deal with an offence or crime.
☞ This expression refers to the law of retribution as set out in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24), known as lex talionis.
the eye of a needle a very small opening or space (used to emphasize the impossibility of a projected endeavour).
☞ This phrase comes from Matthew 19:24: 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God'.
2001FourFourTwo Able to thread a pass through the eye of a needle, he can play in the centre or on either flank.
the eye of the storm
1 the calm region at the centre of a storm or hurricane.
2 the most intense part of a tumultous situation.
❷2012Guardian There is a performance of eerie potency and poignancy from Annika Wedderkopp, playing Klara, the little girl in the eye of the storm.
the apple of your eye: seeapple.
be all eyes be watching eagerly and attentively.
2002John McGahernThat they may face the Rising Sun When Patrick Ryan drew up in an expensive car that dropped him at the church he was all eyes.
a beam in your eye: seebeam.
bedroom eyes: seebedroom.
catch someone's eye
1 be noticed by someone.
2 attract someone's attention by making eye contact with them.
clap (or lay or set) eyes on see. informal
1992Barry UnsworthSacred Hunger If we go by the indications of the play, these two charmers have never clapped eyes on a man before, never flirted, never known the sweets of love.
close (or shut) your eyes to refuse to notice or acknowledge something unwelcome or unpleasant.
do someone in the eye defraud, thwart, or humiliate someone.
1930J. B. PriestleyAngel Pavement He'd invented the job five minutes before, just to do mother in the eye.
eyes down! be ready to concentrate fully on the matter before you.
☞ The expression originated as an injunction (in full 'Eyes down for a full house!') to give your full attention to your card when a game of bingo was about to start.
eyes out on stalks full of eager curiosity or amazement. informal
2012Manchester Music You can tell the people who have never seen them before by the fact that their eyes are out on stalks as the lights go up.
feast your eyes on: seefeast.
get (or keep) your eye in become (or remain) able to make good judgements about a task or occupation in which you are engaged. British
give someone the (glad) eye look at someone in a way that clearly indicates your sexual interest in them. informal
1992James MeekLast Orders If it was an attractive woman, men would give her the eye.
a gleam in someone's eye: seegleam.
go eyes out make every effort. Australian informal
half an eye a slight degree of perception or attention.
1962Cyprian EkwensiBurning Grass His sandals were new because it was market day; or perhaps he had half an eye to some maiden.
have an eye for be able to recognize, appreciate, and make good judgements about a particular thing.
2003Observer Europe's oldest continually inhabited city is Cádiz, founded by the Phoenicians in 1100bc, but those wily Phoenicians, with an eye for a good setting, founded 'Malaka' further along the Andalucian coast a few hundred years later in 800bc.
have (or with) an eye for (or on or to) the main chance look or be looking for an opportunity to take advantage of a situation for personal gain, especially when this is financial.
☞ This expression is taken from the use of main chance in the gambling game of hazard, where it refers to a number (5, 6, 7, or 8) called by a player before throwing the dice.
have eyes bigger than your stomach have asked for or taken more food than you can actually eat.
have eyes in the back of your head observe everything that is happening even when this is apparently impossible.
1991Barbara AndersonGirls High They were all in Miss Royston's class who said that she had eyes in the back of her head and they half believed it, because how else did she know.
have eyes like a hawk miss nothing of what is going on around you.
have eyes like saucers: seesaucer.
have square eyes: seesquare.
have stars in your eyes: seestar.
have your eye on
1 keep under careful observation.
2 hope or plan to acquire.
❶ 2009Diamond Geezer The BBC must be unblemishable. I've got my eye on a few programmes which I suspect might be breaking the BBC Trust's new Extra-Rigid Code of Prim and Proper Conduct.
❷2012Snotty Grrl I went ahead and bought a skirt and cardigan I've had my eye on since January that both just went on sale.
here's mud in your eye!: seemud.
hit someone in the eye (or between the eyes) be very obvious or impressive. informal
2001Independent When I saw the technology in operation, it hit me between the eyes. I was happy to give him £20,000, and became a non-executive director.
in the blink of an eye: seeblink.
in the eyes of in the opinion of.
in your mind's eye: seemind.
in a pig's eye: seepig.
in the public eye: seepublic.
in the twinkling of an eye: see in a twinkling attwinkling.
in the wink of an eye: seewink.
keep an eye out (or open) for look out for something with particular attention.
2004Wanderlust Along the way I kept an eye open for some of Hong Kong's rarest wildlife.
2005Zadie SmithOn Beauty OK-we got to keep an eye out for Jerome, though-he's about.
keep a weather eye on: seeweather.
keep your eye on the ball: seeball.
keep your eyes open (or peeled or skinned) be on the alert; watch carefully or vigilantly for something.
leap to the eye: seeleap.
look someone in the eye: seelook.
make eyes at someone look at someone in a way that makes it clear you find them sexually attractive.
make sheep's eyes at someone: seesheep.
meet your eye: seemeet.
meet someone's eye: seemeet.
more to someone or something than meets the eye: seemeet.
a mote in someone's eye: seemote.
my eye (or all my eye and Betty Martin) nonsense. informal, dated
☞ Who or what Betty Martin was has never been satisfactorily explained. Another version of the saying also in use in the late 18th century was all my eye and my elbow.
1991Robertson DaviesMurther & Walking Spirits Of course many of the grievances are all my eye and Betty Martin (Anna has picked up this soldier's phrase from her husband and likes to use it to show how thoroughly British she has become).
one in the eye for a disappointment or setback for someone or something, especially one that is perceived as being well deserved.
only have eyes for be exclusively interested in or attracted to.
open someone's eyes enlighten someone about certain realities; cause someone to realize or discover something.
1998Scoular Anderson1314 & All That These events opened his eyes to what had happened to his country. Now his one wish was that Scotland should be independent.
pipe your eye: seepipe.
pull the wool over someone's eyes: seewool.
a roving eye: seeroving.
the scales fall from someone's eyes: seescale.
see eye to eye have similar views or attitudes to something; be in full agreement.
2010Peter MurraySkippy Dies For a while now, your father and I haven't been seeing eye to eye. It's not … anybody's fault, it's just the way relationships sometimes go.
-'s-eye view a view from the position or standpoint of the person or thing specified.
☞ The most common versions of this phrase are bird's-eye view (seebird) and worm's-eye view (seeworm).
1982Ian HamiltonRobert Lowell There is a kind of double vision: the child's eye view judged and interpreted by the ironical narrator.
shut your eyes to be wilfully ignorant of.
2009Oona EisenstadtHopeless but not Serious Insofar as you have achieved some level of happiness, it has been hard-won, and arises not from shutting your eyes to the problems that exist in the world but from acting well.
spit in the eye of: seespit.
there's more to someone or something than meets the eye: seemeet.
there wasn't a dry eye in the house: seedry.
turn a blind eye: seeblind.
a twinkle in someone's eye: seetwinkle.
up to your eyes in very busy with or deeply involved in. informal
what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over if you're unaware of an unpleasant fact or situation you can't be troubled by it. proverb
wipe someone's eye: seewipe.
with one eye on giving some but not all your attention to.
1977Craig ThomasFirefox With one eye on the JPT (jet-pipe temperature) gauge he opened the throttles until the rpm gauges were at fifty-five percent and the whine had increased comfortably.
with your eyes open (or with open eyes) fully aware of the risks and other implications of an action or situation.
1999Salman RushdieThe Ground Beneath Her Feet I've always liked to stick my face right up against the hot sweaty broken surface of what was being done, with my eyes open.
with your eyes shut (or closed)
1 without having to make much effort; easily.
2 without considering the possible difficulties or consequences.
❶ 1994New Scientist I can knock off pages of eco-babble for the UN with my eyes shut.