gimlet eye
Americannoun
-
a sharp or piercing glance.
-
an eye that appears to give a sharp or piercing look.
Other Word Forms
- gimlet-eyed adjective
Etymology
Origin of gimlet eye
First recorded in 1815–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland keeps a gimlet eye on inflation data, and it has some estimates.
From MarketWatch
The takeaway is hidden in your question: You are independent and you are an adult who funds your own life, so you — in theory — are least likely to give the “gimlet eye” to your parents’ estate plan.
From MarketWatch
His Joel had a gimlet eye and wore his heart on his sleeve; he was sometimes goofy but always in on the joke.
From Los Angeles Times
No detail is too small for Caro’s gimlet eye, which is currently trained on finishing Volume 5.
From Los Angeles Times
With a gimlet eye and a surprisingly girlish laugh, Vera is cantankerous, impatient, intensely private, unapologetically disheveled and utterly glorious.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.