gimlet eye

noun

1. a sharp or piercing glance.
2. an eye that appears to give a sharp or piercing look.

Other Words From

• gimlet-eyed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gimlet eye¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Watching it all with a gimlet eye, Mary — his old friend who’s still helplessly in love with him — takes Frank to task for sacrificing his theatrical partnership with Charley for hollow Hollywood success.

From Los Angeles Times

Like Eve Babitz and Joan Didion, she positioned herself as a young female writer who was both immersed in the moment and able to stand outside it, casting a gimlet eye on the ironies and excesses of America’s “left coast.”

From New York Times

His Napoleon views the world with a gimlet eye and firmly compressed lips.

From Seattle Times

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the nation’s leading civil rights watchdog, has labeled Moms for Liberty “extremist,” a label that made headlines and cast a gimlet eye on the organization’s mom-and-apple-pie persona.

From Salon

You can’t help but be invigorated by Klein’s intellectual synthesis and dexterity, even as her gimlet eye makes you want to run screaming into the night.

From Los Angeles Times