gooseberry eye

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Noun

gooseberry eye (plural gooseberry eyes)

1. (dated, idiomatic) A prominent, dull eye.
   • 1947, Agatha Christie, “The Capture of Cerberus”, in The Labours of Hercules:

     He enjoyed the Countess Rossakoff's society partly because of her aristocratic provenance, and he was not going to have his enjoyment spoiled by a spectacled little girl with boiled gooseberry eyes and a degree in psychology!

   • 1984, Piers Brendon, “Father and Son”, in Winston Churchill: A Biography:

     Aged only twenty, she caught the gooseberry eye of Lord Randolph Churchill. He proposed to her almost at once.

Related terms

• gooseberry-eyed