keep a weather eye out

Idioms  

1. Also,. Be extremely watchful or alert, as in We should keep a weather eye on our competitors in case they start a price war. The precise allusion in this expression is disputed, but presumably it refers to watching for a storm. [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

It’s 1746 in the colonial village at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, and islanders on the Broad Way keep a weather eye out for the stray cow.

From Seattle Times

In addition to everything else, Apple Apple, Google Google, Microsoft Microsoft, Amazon.com Amazon.com, and IBM IBM now have to keep a weather eye out for cybersquatters.

From Forbes

As climate-watchers and coastal-dwellers keep a weather eye out for signals of irreversible changes in the environment, the world’s fastest-moving glacier has already begun self-destruction.

From Salon

Besides his job as ship's doctor he had the un-naval post of naturalist, and intended to keep a weather eye out for Mollusca, Acalephae, Cirripedia, epizoa, Radiata and such.

From Time Magazine Archive

Heroes of the tale are the Lunns, who keep a weather eye out for any new chance to catch a living that the varying sea affords, keep a jealous friendly eye on the size of their rivals', the Fosdyck's, hauls.

From Time Magazine Archive