keen eye
7
4.1
- noun
:
ojo agudo
- With his keen eye for talent, the coach quickly spotted potential in the young players.
I think storytellers have a keen eye for what's beneath the surface.
- I think storytellers have a keen eye for what's beneath the surface.
- Mary is a leader with a Clarion voice and a tough spine who with strength drawn from a keen eye for justice.
Examples
-
You have a keen eye.
-
Nothing will escape its keen eye.
Academic text (2006) -
The old man turned me over and over, examining me with a keen eye before finally speaking.
Fiction book (2002) -
Although she had made friends with several, she had a keen eye for the foibles.
Fiction book (1997) -
Buenaventura observed everything around him with a keen eye.
Fiction book (1996) -
I think storytellers have a keen eye for what's beneath the surface.
-
You've got a keen eye, boy-o.
-
Eddie Weston, Luis's trainer and manager, kept a keen eye on the other corner.
Fiction book (2001) -
The detective's keen eye helped him notice the smallest details at the crime scene.
-
She has a keen eye for color and often helps friends choose the perfect paint shades.
Synonyms
677
4.6
The skill of noticing small details and what looks good
8
4.1
A strong ability to notice small things and work very carefully
3
3.9
The ability to notice small details and mistakes very well
2
9.6
The ability to notice and understand things quickly and clearly
1
4.3
Noticing small details and understanding what they mean
1
6.6
Being quick to notice small details and other people's feelings
A quick ability to notice and understand things
The ability to notice and understand things quickly
The ability to notice small details by paying attention
An ability to notice and remember what you see very clearly
A quick clear mind that notices small details
Antonyms
How Observant
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'ability to notice small details' is directly derivable from combining 'keen' (sharp/acute perceptiveness) with 'eye' (capacity to see/notice). This adjective+noun composition follows a common, cross-linguistic metaphor (e.g. 'sharp eye') and is therefore immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Keen eye may come from the idea of keen meaning 'sharp' and imagining an eye that is sharp like a knife, able to pick out small things. That's why today keen eye means 'an ability to notice small details'.