EVIL EYE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does evil eye mean? 

• EVIL EYE (noun)
  The noun EVIL EYE has 1 sense:

1. a look that is believed to have the power of inflicting harm

  Familiarity information: EVIL EYE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EVIL EYE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A look that is believed to have the power of inflicting harm

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("evil eye" is a kind of...):

look; looking; looking at (the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually)

 Context examples 

I had seen them speer at the fellow, and put out their twa fingers when they saw him, to guard against the evil eye.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

It succeeded, however; and though Sir Walter must ever look with an evil eye on anyone intending to inhabit that house, and think them infinitely too well off in being permitted to rent it on the highest terms, he was talked into allowing Mr Shepherd to proceed in the treaty, and authorising him to wait on Admiral Croft, who still remained at Taunton, and fix a day for the house being seen.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Whensoever, slowly pondering over my letter, I lifted up my eyes, and meeting the thoughtful face of Agnes, saw it clear, and beam encouragement upon me, with its own angelic expression, I was conscious presently of the evil eye passing me, and going on to her, and coming back to me again, and dropping furtively upon the knitting.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In the first house where we stopped, when the woman who served us saw the scar on my forehead, she crossed herself and put out two fingers towards me, to keep off the evil eye.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

His mother's eye was an evil eye to the rest of the world, I thought as it met mine, howsoever affectionate to him; and I believe she and her son were devoted to one another.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

We are travelling fast, and as we have no driver with us to carry tales, we go ahead of scandal; but I daresay that fear of the evil eye will follow hard behind us all the way.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

One by one several of the passengers offered me gifts, which they pressed upon me with an earnestness which would take no denial; these were certainly of an odd and varied kind, but each was given in simple good faith, with a kindly word, and a blessing, and that strange mixture of fear-meaning movements which I had seen outside the hotel at Bistritz—the sign of the cross and the guard against the evil eye.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

With some difficulty I got a fellow-passenger to tell me what they meant; he would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I had to argy wi' them aboot it wi' a handspike; an' when the last o' them rose off the deck wi' his head in his hand, I had convinced them that, evil eye or no evil eye, the property and the trust of my owners were better in my hands than in the river Danube.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)