keep one's eyes open

Idioms  

1. Also,. Be watchful and observant. For example, We should keep our eyes open for a change in the wind's direction, or Keep your eyes peeled for the teacher. The first phrase dates from the late 1800s; the second and third, both colloquial and alluding to the lids not covering the eyes, date from the mid-1800s and 1830s, respectively.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

keep one's eyes open

One cannot keep one's eyes open very long without winking, but the stranger did.

From The Ape, the Idiot & Other People by Morrow, W. C.

From the snow-hut observatory, or even at a lesser distance, the Fram is invisible, and it is almost impossible to keep one’s eyes open, owing to the blinding snow.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Nansen, Fridtjof

Thou knowest well how to furnish a guard-room when one is required to keep one's eyes open and one's spirits up.

From King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 1 or, the Throne, the Church, and the People in the Thirteenth Century. Vol. I. by Ingemann, Bernhard Severin

One cannot keep one's eyes open very long without winking, but the stranger never winked at all.

From The Best British Short Stories of 1922 by Cournos, John

A man had to know the surroundings well to find his way now; one had to feel — it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

From The South Pole; an account of the Norwegian antarctic expedition in the "Fram," 1910-1912 — Volume 1 by Chater, Arthur G.