without batting an eye

Idioms

Showing no emotion, acting as though nothing were unusual. For example, Richard ate the snails without batting an eye. A related phrase is not bat an eye, as in He didn't bat an eye when she told him he was being laid off. These expressions, which use bat in the sense of “blink,” date from about 1900.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What could I do that I could do without batting an eye?

From Slate • Jul. 31, 2021

And Joan, without batting an eye said, “OK, great.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2021

They snapped to attention without batting an eye, when a whistle ordered them to.

From The Guardian • Jan. 12, 2021

“And without batting an eye, they said yes. And that’s what really felt like truth to me.”

From Washington Times • Oct. 7, 2018

At first I suspected the operator, at her switchboard, might be listening, but she just went on plugging and unplugging her little tubes without batting an eye.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023