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.

eye idioms and phrases with pictures

Let’s see the idioms with real life picture examples.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - eye
eye expressions - a sight for sore eyes
apple of one’s eye idiom
eye idioms - bat an eyelid meaning
eye idioms - bird's eye view meaning
black eye meaning
eye idioms - blue-eyed boy
idioms about eyes - catch someone's eye
idioms about eyes - cry one’s eyes out
eagle-eyes idiom
eye expressions - easy on the eye
idioms about eyes - eye candy
eye idioms - eye of the storm
eye idioms - eye-catching
eyes are the window to the soul meaning
eye idioms - eyes bigger than one’s belly
eye idioms - four-eyes
eye expressions - ave eyes in the back of one's head
eye idioms - hit the bull's-eye
eye idioms - in the blink of an eye
eye idioms - keep an eye on
eye idioms - keep an eye out for
keep one’s eye on the ball idiom
eye idioms - keep one’s eyes peeled
eye idioms - look someone square in the eye meaning
eye idioms - make eyes at
eye idioms - make sheep's eyes at
eye idioms - more than meets the eye
naked eye meaning
eye idioms - only have eyes for
eye idioms - pie-eyed meaning
idioms about eyes - see eye to eye
eye expressions - turn a blind eye
eye expressions - up to one's eyes-ears-neck

You can download a table of ‘eye’ idioms and expressions below.

If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more body idioms by clicking on the links below.