I’ve heard of the phrase “hairy eyeball,” but I’ve never known what it means. I know I’ve been silly with my sister about it. We’ve said that it sounds uncomfortable and some people might say it is gross. However, we decided that if somebody had hair growing from their eyeballs, we wouldn’t care. It would just be interesting to know if it was bothersome.
However, the eyeball is one place on the human body that does not grow hair. Some people have hair on the eyelids from the eyelashes or sides of the eyes from the eyelashes that may make it look like a little bit of hair is on the eyeball. This is most common in dogs, though, that have fur growing all over their faces.
Instead, a “hairy eyeball” is a phrase. It is a phrase that I have not used, so I am not exactly sure what it means. However, while I researched the phrase, I found that it means a glance with lowered eyelids, so the eyelashes make it look like the eyeball is hairy. It is often used to indicate suspicion or hostility, but it can also indicate other emotions.
The phrase only seems to originate in the 1960s in the United States. The earliest known printing of the phrase is from November 1961 in The Galveston Daily News. It was in an a report about an interview with Carol Burnett that said, ” ‘With her [Burnett’s sister] everything is boys-boys-boys. She’s really educated me. She was telling me about a boy looking at her and she said, `He gave me the hairy eyeball.` That meant he liked her.'”
This does not have the meaning of suspicion or hostility. Instead, it is one of those other emotions. This time it is liking a person. I’m pretty sure, after reading this, that I have given somebody I’ve liked, a “hairy eyeball.” However, I think it is usually because I am too shy or nervous to approach the person and just talk to him.
Anyway, the suspicion or hostility meaning is more evident in a November 1963 piece from The New York Times. It said, “‘He gave me the hairy eyeball’ – means that someone is disapproving.”
The phrase is still popular. On April 3, 2012, a story with the title, “Planned Parenthood Aims a Big, Hairy Eyeball at New KC Sheriff” was published on the Internet. For some reason Planned Parenthood wasn’t happy with Steve Strachan, the newly appointed Sheriff of King County, Washington.
In other uses, it is the name of a beer. The Hairy Eyeball” is made by The Lagunitas Brewing Company.
Sources:
King County, Washington. (n.d.). King County, Washington . Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://info.kingcounty.gov/about/contact/default.aspx
Lagunitas Brewing Company. (n.d.).Lagunitas Brewing Company – You Must Be 21 To Enter . Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/hairyeyeball.html
Madrid, C. (n.d.). Planned Parenthood Aims a Big, Hairy Eyeball at New KC Sheriff | Slog. Slog | Seattle News, Politics, Arts Blog | The Stranger, Seattle’s Only Newspaper . Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/04/03/planned-parenthood-aims-a-big-hairy-eyeball-at-new-kc-sheriff
Martin, G. (n.d.). The hairy eyeball.The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases . Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/hairy-eyeball.html
Surujbally, S. (n.d.). Eye ailments (Continued) – Stabroek News – Guyana. Guyana News – Stabroek News – Breaking News, Sports and Opinion from Georgetown Guyana . Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/features/03/29/eye-ailments-continued/
