bat an eyelid
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From bat (“flutter”), circa 1900.[1]
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb edit
bat an eyelid (third-person singular simple present bats an eyelid, present participle batting an eyelid, simple past and past participle batted an eyelid)
- (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To react in any slight way; to respond; to care.
- Synonym: flinch
- When laptop computers first came out they were something of a novelty. These days, nobody bats an eyelid.
- 1914, Edgar Beecher Bronson, The Vanguard, page 155:
- […] he got the drop on Cox, the only time I had seen or heard of its being done — had his pistol out and stuck in Cox's face before Cox could bat an eyelid.
- 2006, Pete Takeda, An Eye at the Top of the World, page 116:
- If you were to walk into a salon in America after a few 10–12 hour days of sweaty, dusty travel with no shower, you'd probably be politely asked to leave and not return until you've cleaned up. But here in a land whose resources and infrastructure cannot sustain such frivolity, the barber doesn't even bat an eyelid.
- 2007, Fionn Davenport, Dublin Encounter, page 153:
- Dublin's not a bad place to be gay. Most people wouldn't bat an eyelid at public displays of affection between same-sex couples […]
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
to react in any slight way
|