What is an eye?

There are many idioms in English about eyes. An eye is located on the face, above the nose. There are two of them and they are the organs of sight. The plural is ‘eyes’.

FUN FACT – The noun ‘eye’ is spelt pronounced exactly the same as the pronoun ‘I’. Words that are pronounced the same but spelt differently are called homophones.

eye idioms and phrases list

Let’s look at some popular body idioms that contain the word ‘eye’.

a sight for sore eyes
meaning – someone/something that is very attractive/you’re pleased to see
example – An English breakfast after a night on the beer is a sight for sore eyes.
apple of one’s eye
meaning – a person who is cherished above everyone else
example – Laura is the apple of Steve’s eye. I think he’s going to propose soon.
bat an eyelid show
meaning – no emotion/reaction
example – Dominic is brave! He got hit in the face with a cricket ball and didn’t even bat an eyelid.
bird’s eye view
meaning – see something from above
example – I’d love a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. The bird’s eye view would be amazing.
blue-eyed boy
meaning – a young man who is favoured and treated well by others
example – Damian will get the promotion, he’s the manager’s blue-eyed boy.
catch someone’s eye
meaning – get someone’s attention
example – A dress caught my eye in the bridal shop. I think I’ve found the one.
cry one’s eyes out
meaning – cry a lot and for a long time
example – The kids are crying their eyes out watching The Lion King.
easy on the eye
meaning – attractive, good looking
example – The guy I’m seeing is easy on the eye, but he isn’t intelligent.
eye candy
meaning – a person who is good to look at but perhaps not that intelligent
example – The film was ok. It’s full of eye candy but the plot is weak.
eye-catching
meaning – something is visually attractive
example – I’m trying to design a new eye-catching logo for my business.
in the blink of an eye
meaning – very quickly
example – Jason was a millionaire. In the blink of an eye, the money was gone.
have eyes bigger than one’s belly
meaning – take more food than you can eat
example – We always have eyes bigger than our bellies when we go to sushi restaurants.
have eyes in the back of one’s head
meaning – someone who knows everything you are doing
example – I can’t cheat in Miss Johnson’s class; she has eyes in the back of her head.
hit the bull’s eye
meaning – achieve the best result
example – We really hit the bull’s-eye with our latest product. The customers are loving it.

keep an eye on
meaning – watch closely
example – I’ve got to keep an eye on my brother at school. I think he is being bullied.
keep an eye out for someone/something
meaning – watch carefully for something to appear
example – My earing fell out in the bathroom, keep an eye out for it please.
keep one’s eyes peeled
meaning – watch carefully, be alert/vigilant
example – My earring fell out somewhere in the kitchen. Keep your eyes peeled.
look someone square in the eye
meaning – look at someone directly
example – He looked me square in the eye and told me he was sleeping with my girlfriend.
more than meets the eye
meaning – a situation is more complex than it first seems
example – This proposal seems too good to be true. I think there is more than meets the eye.
naked eye
meaning – something that can be seen without a microscope
example – Atoms are so small; they can’t be seen with the naked eye.
pie-eyed
meaning – drunk, intoxicated
example – My dad is always pie-eyed. I think he has a problem.
turn a blind eye
meaning – pretend not to notice something and ignore it’s happening
example – The police turned a blind eye to the poor child who stole some milk to feed his sister.
up to one’s eyes/eyeballs
meaning – extremely busy
example – Josh is up to his eyes in boxes. He’s moving tomorrow so he can’t come out.