eyeball

Everyday

1. An eyeball is the round ball of the eye, most of which sits inside your head. tree →
2. (informal) To eyeball someone or something is to look at them hard, often in a challenging or rude way. tree →
3. (informal) To eyeball an amount is to guess it just by looking, without measuring. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on the body, the eyeball has the pupil, iris, lens and retina, and is moved by six muscles. In everyday talk: «eyeball to eyeball» means face to face in an argument; «up to my eyeballs in homework» means very busy. In maths, «eyeballing» is estimating: good for a quick check, but measure for an exact answer. Phrases: «eyeball to eyeball», «up to your eyeballs», «eyeball it».

Examples

• The eyeball is about the size of a large grape. tree →
• We looked at a model of the eyeball in science. tree →
• The two cats eyeballed each other across the fence. tree →
• I'm up to my eyeballs in homework this week. tree →
• Don't just eyeball it, measure the line with a ruler. tree →
• At Halloween we ate jelly eyeballs. tree →
• I will sing you the praise of the bottle-tailed Rikki, with eyeballs of red! tree →

Note

One word. «Eyeball» as a verb is informal. Maths: eyeballing gives an estimate, not an exact measurement.