side-eye

or side eye

[ sahyd-ahy ]

noun

1. a sidelong look used to express contempt, criticism, suspicion, curiosity, or doubt:

   Family holidays—the perfect time to face intrusive questions and the side-eye your great-aunt gives you at the dinner table.

   I don't want to eat at a restaurant where we'll be getting the side-eye all night for having a baby in tow.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to express contempt, criticism, suspicion, curiosity, or doubt with or as if with a sidelong look:

   Two things make me side-eye this story: the improbable plot and the unbelievable ending.

   Don't side-eye just yet, let me explain.

Word History and Origins

Origin of side-eye¹

First recorded in 1825–30

Example Sentences

He gives me the side-eye while I insist we just need a little post-hike snack.

From Salon

Harris is exceptionally good at the furrow, the side-eye, the chin stroke, and the silent, syrup-scented “Bless his heart.”

From Slate

In the laugh break that followed that joke, she stared directly into the camera, her mouth playfully twisted in a “you know what I’m talkin’ about” half smirk, accessorized with side-eye.

From Salon

A group of women is seated beside us, drinking white wine and leaning together to murmur while giving me side-eye.

From Los Angeles Times

She went out in a blaze of glory, but now there appears to be no one left in Westeros who understands the power of the side-eye.

From Los Angeles Times