🏟️ Anti-glare makeup 🏈 Decorative strip

eye black

1 3.1

A dark mark under the eye used during sports to reduce glare

noun
/aɪ blæk/

: pintura para los ojos

Examples

Seeing players wear eye black is something I'm used to, and often don't think twice about seeing it.

Blog text (14)
During the game, the athlete applied eye black to reduce glare from the bright stadium lights.
Many players use eye black to help focus on the game by minimizing distractions from sunlight.
Before stepping onto the field, he made sure to put on eye black under his eyes to enhance his performance.

Surface Forms

eye black singular

eye blacks plural

Morphology

eye + black

The combination 'eye' + 'black' transparently indicates a black item related to the eye, so a learner could infer it's a black mark or product placed on or near the eye. However, the conventionalized, culture-specific meaning — a strip/decal applied beneath the eye by athletes (for glare reduction or team decoration) — is not fully predictable and can be confused with a 'black eye' (bruise), making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Eye black comes from athletes rubbing dark grease or paint under the eye to cut glare from the sun or bright stadium lights. The picture of a dark patch under the eye is why the phrase means 'a dark substance used to reduce glare'.