sleep with one eye open
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Some animals sleep with one eye open, so as to remain alert to threats.
Verb
[edit]sleep with one eye open (third-person singular simple present sleeps with one eye open, present participle sleeping with one eye open, simple past and past participle slept with one eye open)
- (figurative) To remain vigilant at all times, especially by remaining partially awake or sleeping only lightly so as to avoid being caught off guard.
Translations
[edit]Translations
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Further reading
[edit]- “sleep with one eye open”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.