give someone the eye

Verb

give someone the eye (third-person singular simple present gives someone the eye, present participle giving someone the eye, simple past gave someone the eye, past participle given someone the eye)

1. (idiomatic) To show flirtatious signs or sexual interest/attraction with one's eyes.
   • I saw him giving me the eye as soon as I entered the bar.
   • She was sort of cute, the blonde one, and I started giving her the old eye a little bit, but just then the waiter came up for my order.1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 90

   Synonyms:

   eye up, give someone the glad eye

2. (idiomatic) To give someone the stink eye.
   • I saw him giving me the eye as soon as I entered the office.
3. (idiomatic) To give someone the evil eye.
   • I saw him giving me the eye as soon as I entered the town square.
4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see give, someone, the, eye; for example, to hand someone the eye of a hook and eye.