phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Pick the eyes out of it

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on July 04, 2011 at 21:07

In Reply to: Pick the eyes out of it posted by Justine on July 04, 2011 at 07:28:

: What is the origin of the saying to "pick the eyes out of it"?

I've never heard it, and you don't (in spite of the site advice) give any context. However, there are two contexts in which eyes routinely get picked out of anything:

1. Carrion birds feeding on dead animals pick the eyes out first, as being tasty morsels that are easy to get at.

2. People preparing potatoes for cooking pick the eyes out as these aren't good to eat.

Thus, the first context would give you the meaning "cherry-pick the best easy bits", and the second context would give you the meaning "get rid of the bad bits".
(VSD)

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.