Street voices
Janna
·
United States
Just recorded
"Side eye or giving someone a side eye is basically giving judgment or disapproval towards something or being bewildered by something in a way. An example would be, oh my god, why is that man at the club getting so close to you? Side eye, let's leave."
What it means
A side eye is the look you throw without turning your head, eyebrow up, lips flat, judgement loaded. It says I heard that and I am keeping it on file, without spending a single word. The full verbal version, to give someone the side eye, is a quiet protest, the receipt no one signed for but everyone notices.
Usage examples
"When he said the avocado toast was overrated, three of us threw him the same side eye without rehearsing. We did not need a meeting to agree."
"My mum hit me with a championship-level side eye when I tried to claim the leftover lasagne for breakfast. Said nothing, won the war."
Where it comes from
The expression jumps out of African American Vernacular English, where it has been polished for decades as a tool for the kind of disrespect that should not be dignified with speech. The wider internet borrowed it in the early twenty-tens, mostly via reaction gifs of Viola Davis, Oprah and assorted aunties. The emoji eyes peering sideways made it permanent in group chats.
Editors of this term
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