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Glite Dictionary
🏟️ Anti-glare makeup 🏈 Decorative strip
eye black

eye black

3.5
A sticker placed under the eye to show team support or decorate the face
  • noun
  • /aɪ blæk/
  • US
translation icon : calcomanía para los ojos
  • He applied a strip of eye black beneath his eyes before stepping onto the field.

Examples

  • The football player wore eye black with his team's logo during the big game.

  • Fans handed out custom eye black stickers to everyone in the stadium.

  • She applied glittery eye black under her eyes to show her support for the team.

  • He applied eye black before the game.

  • The team wore eye blacks to show their spirit.

  • Athletes often wear eye black during games to display their team colors or support.

  • The player personalized his eye black with a motivational quote for the championship game.

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 also means a small black strip or sticker put beneath the eye as decoration or to show team support. The simple image of a black stripe under the eye is why it means 'a strip or decal used to show team support'.