black eye

American  

noun

1. discoloration of the skin around the eye, resulting from a blow, bruise, etc.

2. a mark of shame, dishonor, etc..

   These slums are a black eye to our town.

3. damaged reputation.

   Your behavior will give the family a black eye.

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black eye British  

noun

1. bruising round the eye

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black eye Idioms  

1. A mark of shame, a humiliating setback, as in That there are enough homeless folks to need another shelter is a black eye for the administration. This metaphor alludes to having discolored flesh around the eye resulting from a blow. The term is also used literally, as in The mugger not only took Bill's wallet but gave him a black eye. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of black eye

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

The retraction is also a black eye for the Network for Greening the Financial System, a group of central banks and financial regulators that incorporated the study’s projections into its bank climate stress test scenarios.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many have paid off with tens of billions of dollars in profits—including early bets on Yahoo, Alibaba and the chip company Arm Holdings—while others have led to costly black eyes, such as WeWork.

From The Wall Street Journal

Four hungry black eyes blink up at us.

From Literature

Behind the windburn, Edward Ashton’s cheeks were bone white, and his black eyes glittered with fever.

From Literature

The Berlin Wall was becoming a real black eye.

From Literature