cause raised eyebrows

Idioms  

1. Also, raise eyebrows. Cause surprise or disapproval, as in At school his purple hair usually causes raised eyebrows. This transfer of a physical act (raising one's eyebrows) to the feelings it may express took place in the early 1900s. Lytton Strachey used the term in The Eminent Victorians (1918): “The most steady-going churchman hardly raises an eyebrow at it now.”

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Example Sentences

One year after Watson’s sudden firing and just nine days prior to the start of the regular season, Sarver unexpectedly fired McDonough, and then waited five months – long enough to cause “raised eyebrows” in an NBA league office that generally makes a point of staying out of franchises’ day-to-day operations – to even begin the hiring process for his full-time replacement.

From The Guardian

Nor is Sexwale’s business career free of controversy while his closeness to Blatter will also cause raised eyebrows.

From The Guardian

Photograph: Alamy Twitter has become the latest in a growing list of companies to cause raised eyebrows over its tax affairs.

From The Guardian

Cause raised eyebrows in the Martin/Paltrow household.

From The Guardian

Many times he will say something that would cause raised eyebrows or excitement in some quarters.

From Time Magazine Archive