without batting an eye
1
6.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
sin inmutarse
- He made the tough decision to relocate the team without batting an eye, showing no hesitation.
- said this without batting an eye
Examples
-
He looked at me with disbelief, and when I kept on staring back at him without batting an eye, he burst out laughing.
Fiction book (1997) -
Eve breathed easier, held Vincent's hand tight, and looked at him without batting an eye.
Fiction book (1997) -
He looked right at your picture without batting an eye.
Fiction book (2001) -
And woodrow, without batting an eye, asked, "Which way, Senator?"
-
She was a woman who could say, "forgive me," without batting an eye.
Fiction book (1997) -
Then you looked at them without batting an eye and said, "Hey little hippie, let your freak flag fly."
Blog text (2) -
He promised to be a fierce advocate for us, without batting an eye.
Blog text (33) -
I blushed and blurted that I didn't speak French, and without batting an eye, she repeated her question in English.
Blog text (14) -
Bain charged high management fees, raided their available cash and pension funds, canceled health care, and ultimately fired people close to retirement—all without batting an eye.
Blog text (15) -
She accepted the job offer without batting an eye, fully confident in her ability to succeed.
Synonyms
9
7.4
In a calm way that shows no worry or excitement
4
6.8
In a way that shows no feeling or reaction
3
5.5
To act immediately and confidently without pausing
1
7.5
Without showing any feeling or surprise
Calmly without showing any emotion
Without pause or doubt
Antonyms
How Affected
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes the literal image of 'batting an eye' (fluttering one's eyelashes), so 'without batting an eye' can be inferred as 'without showing a physical reaction' by a learner who knows 'without', 'bat', and 'eye'. However, the specific idiomatic use of 'bat an eye' to mean 'show surprise or reaction' is not highly frequent and is somewhat conventionalized, so full comprehension often requires prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom without batting an eye comes from a clear image: batting means blinking and eye is the eye. So doing something without batting an eye means 'without showing surprise, worry, or hesitation'.