my eye
Expression of disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust, or disbelief.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You are sorry? My eye, you are just trying to trick me.”
“He says he is a professional chef? My eye, he cannot even boil water.”
“He claims he did not break the vase, but my eye, I saw him drop it.”
“The manager says the company is like a family, but my eye, he only cares about the monthly profits.”
“She told the neighbors she won the lottery, but my eye, she just took out a very large bank loan.”
“The salesman promised this old car would last for another ten years, but my eye, the engine was making a terrible rattling sound the entire time.”
“They promised that the new policy would benefit everyone, but that is all my eye, as it clearly favors only the wealthy.”
disputed origin
From the earlier phrase *all my eye*, the expression is probably a shortening of a longer formula. The OED notes its use in the 18th century as an exclamation of disbelief, likely borrowed from or influenced by the French *mon œil*. No consensus exists for its specific origin, though the phrase is often associated with the mock-Latin *all my eye and Betty Martin*.
- 01
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.
- 02
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 03
blink of an eye
A moment (a very short period of time).
- 04
camel through the eye of a needle
Hyperbole to illustrate something that is impossible to do or to make happen.
- 05
catch someone's eye
To capture someone's attention.
- 06
catch the eye
To attract the attention
- 07
close one eye
to look the other way, to deliberately ignore or overlook (a mistake or transgression).
- 08
dry eye
An eye which is not crying, i.e. someone emotionally unmoved.
Last updated August 10, 2026