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The hairy eyeballMeaningA glance made with partially lowered eyelashes. This usually indicates suspicion or hostility but may signal other emotions too. OriginThis is a US phrase from the 1960s and is largely restricted to US use. The earliest known printed record of it is from The Galveston Daily News, November 1961, in a piece that reports on an interview with Carol Burnett:
That appears to contradict the usual suspicious and hostile meaning which is evident in this slightly later piece from The New York Times, November 1963:
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