bat an eyelid
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From bat (flutter), circa 1900.[1]
Verb [edit]
- (idiomatic) To react in any slight way; to respond.
- 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 […]
Usage notes [edit]
- Most frequently used in negative constructions, as in the examples.
Synonyms [edit]
- (react in any slight way): flinch
Translations [edit]
to react in any slight way
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References [edit]
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, 1997, p. 720
