bat an eyelid
To react in any slight way; to respond; to care.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“She did not even bat an eyelid when I told her the news.”
“The experienced negotiator did not bat an eyelid when the other side threatened to walk away from the deal.”
“Despite the chaotic scene unfolding before him, the seasoned detective did not bat an eyelid, remaining focused entirely on the evidence at hand.”
first recorded 19th c.
From *bat*, in the sense of a flutter, first recorded circa 1900. The term refers to the rapid movement of the eyelashes and emerged as a variation of the earlier nineteenth-century phrase *bat one's eyes*.
- 01
bat a thousand
To achieve success at each attempt.
- 02
bat five hundred
To be successful half of the time; to have a success rate of 50%.
- 03
bat for the other team
To be homosexual.
- 04
bat one's eyes
To signal or feign by fluttering one's eyelids, as romantic interest.
- 05
bat the breeze
To chat; to shoot the breeze.
- 06
go to bat
To champion, to actively assist, to provide support (for someone).
- 07
have bats in one's belfry
To be crazy or eccentric.
Last updated August 10, 2026