bat an eyelid en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From bat (“flutter”), circa 1900.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, in the negative) To react in any slight way; to respond; to care.
When laptop computers first came out they were something of a novelty. These days, nobody bats an eyelid.
If you were to walk into a salon in America after a few 10–12 hour days of sweaty, dusty travel with no shower, you'd probably be politely asked to leave and not return until you've cleaned up. But here in a land whose resources and infrastructure cannot sustain such frivolity, the barber doesn't even bat an eyelid.
2006, Pete Takeda, An Eye at the Top of the World, page 116:[…]he got the drop on Cox, the only time I had seen or heard of its being done — had his pistol out and stuck in Cox's face before Cox could bat an eyelid.
1914, Edgar Beecher Bronson, The Vanguard, page 155:Dublin's not a bad place to be gay. Most people wouldn't bat an eyelid at public displays of affection between same-sex couples[…]
2007, Fionn Davenport, Dublin Encounter, page 153:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bats an eyelid | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| batting an eyelid | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| batted an eyelid | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| batted an eyelid | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
flinch · bat an eye · bat an eyelash
Translations (17)
ru моргну́ть гла́зом (to react in any slight way) · no heve et øyenbryn (to react in any slight way) · fi räpäyttää silmää (to react in any slight way) · no heve et øyelokk (to react in any slight way) · pl kiwnąć palcem (to react in any slight way) · hu szemrebbenés nélkül (to react in any slight way) · sv höja på ögonbrynen (to react in any slight way) · hu arcizma se rándul (to react in any slight way) · de mit der Wimper zucken (to react in any slight way) · hy տանձին լինել (to react in any slight way) · hu negative polarity only) szeme se rebben (to react in any slight way) · hy ռեակցիա տալ (to react in any slight way) · es inmutarse (to react in any slight way) · cmn 眨眼 (to react in any slight way) · it battere ciglio (to react in any slight way) · pl kiwać palcem (to react in any slight way) · fi väräyttää eväänsä (to react in any slight way)