devil in one's eyes

Phrase

devil in one's eyes

1. A look that reflects an underlying evil or corruption
   • At times I thought of throwing myself on the mercy of Wolf Larsen, but the vision of the mocking devil in his eyes that questioned life and sneered at it would come strong upon me and compel me to refrain.1904, Jack London, The Sea-Wolf
   • She was so glad to see me, and laughed and talked, but when she saw the devil in my eyes she grew frightened, and cried just as you heard her cry tonight.2011, Alice Perrin, Melissa Edmundson Makala, East of Suez, page 163
2. A lascivious look
   • “Now are you going to put this ointment on my back or not?” Conrad's lip curled upward; he had the very devil in his eyes.2014, Heather Huffman, Devil in Disguise
   • She despised the different cabals jockeying for political influence and particularly distrusted Hamilton (" I have seen the devil in his eyes,” she said, “his wicked eyes. The very devil is in them. They are lasciviousness itself”—though these observations are probably more about his lust for Maria...2017, Larry Schweikart, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents
3. An expression of willfulness or defiance
   • "Dear me!" said Holmes, "he seems a quiet, meek-mannered man enough, but I dare say that there was a lurking devil in his eyes. I had pictured him as a more robust and ruffianly person."1901, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles
   • Now, from the devil in her eyes, he saw that she intended making things further uncomfortable for him.1934, Robert E. Howard, The Shadow of the Vulture
4. A mischievous look
   • I turned to leave, and Leah Beth was standing by the gate, an impish smile on her lips and the devil in her eyes.1948, The Saturday Evening Post - Volume 221, page 68
   • A comparative photograph of Johnny at this time in the early *40s shows a boy rascally and snaggled, some of the merry devil in his eyes.1994 July, Barry Hannah, “Big Country”, in SPIN, volume 10, number 4, page 40