The family hired a private eye to find their lost dog.
private eye
idiomA private personal detective, employed to gather information about someone.
Origin
disputed originFrom private investigator and its abbreviation PI, through the homophonic term eye in place of "I", and the use of "eye" as a reference to surveillance.
She suspected her business partner was stealing money, so she hired a private eye to follow him.
The weary private eye spent weeks trailing the suspect through the city, hoping to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance.
- 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.