Dictionary.com

in the eye of

1

In the center or focal point of something, as in They were right in the eye of this controversy. This term employs eye in the sense of “a central spot,” a usage dating from the mid-1700s.

2

in the eyes of. In the view or opinion of, from the standpoint of. For example, In the eyes of his fans Elvis could do no wrong, or In the eyes of the law he was a fugitive. The eyes here allude to their function, seeing. [Late 1500s]

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby in the eye of

in the dumps, in the dust, leave someone, in the end, in the event of, in the eye, in the eye of, in the face, in the face of, in the family way, in the final analysis, in the first place
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.