don't look now

Phrase

don't look now

1. (colloquial) Used before a statement to tell someone to be aware of something (often a person) without looking.
   • SQUIRE What's this young feller's name comin' along ovah yondah with Miss Carey? MRS. P. [Going to gate.] Where? SQUIRE Over yon- To right. Don't look now 'cause he'll think I'm talkin' about him. Been presented to him twice, an' can't remember his name.1905, Augustus Thomas, Alabama: A Drama in Four Acts, page 6
   • For mercy's sake, just look at that scarecrow there. Did you ever see such a fitting dress. Don't, don't look now; she'll think we're staring at her.1916, Harrison Goodel, “At the Reception”, in Goodwal Dickerman, Henry Marlin Soper, editors, Scrap-book Recitation Series: A Miscellaneous Collection of Prose and Poetry […] , page 43
2. Used to alert the listener of danger, so that one may flee while the attacker thinks they are still unseen.
3. (colloquial) Used to point out something the speaker feels is obvious.
   • Oh, yeah? Well, don't look now, but we're on the grass!
   • Dad: You shouldn't be afraid of the ocean, Marvin. Just think of it as a giant bathtub.
     Marvin: Well, don't look now, but my rubber ducky just grew a fin.1986, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic)