see with half an eye

Idioms  

1. Notice the obvious, tell at a glance, as in I could see with half an eye that he was sleeping through the entire concert. This hyperbolic expression, which presumably alludes to an eye that is only half-open, was first recorded in 1579.

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Example Sentences

Any one could see with half an eye that the woman was as pious as could be—the kind that was hand and glove with parsons.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

The first time Mr. Norcross's special went over the line anybody could see with half an eye that the pay-roll men were taking a brace.

From The Wreckers by Lynde, Francis

But any one could see with half an eye that he was no countryman.

From Ditte: Girl Alive! by Nexø, Martin Andersen

For Everett had begun, as anybody could see with half an eye, as Letty Lambkin put it briskly.

From Concerning Sally by Hopkins, William John

"I can see with half an eye that there is some fresh trouble."

From The Landleaguers by Trollope, Anthony