beady

Everyday

1. Small, round and shiny, like a bead; used mostly about eyes. tree →
2. (informal) Watching very closely and suspiciously, as in «a beady eye». tree →

In the lessons

In stories, birds, rats and villains have beady eyes; it makes a creature seem sharp, alert and a bit sneaky. Phrase: keep a beady eye on (watch carefully, often a teacher or parent).

Examples

• The crow watched us with its beady black eyes. tree →
• The teacher kept a beady eye on the back row. tree →
• The rat stared out from the hole with beady eyes. tree →
• Grandma has a beady eye for mess. tree →
• The doll had little beady eyes made of glass. tree →
• Keep a beady eye on your bag at the station. tree →
• He had bright beady eyes and stiff grey whiskers and his tail was like a long bit of black india-rubber. tree →

Note

Comparative beadier, superlative beadiest. Mostly used with «eye» or «eyes». It is a little unkind to say a person has beady eyes.