"bat an eyelid" meaning in English

See bat an eyelid in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-bat an eyelid.ogg [Australia] Forms: bats an eyelid [present, singular, third-person], batting an eyelid [participle, present], batted an eyelid [participle, past], batted an eyelid [past]
Etymology: From bat (“flutter”), circa 1900. Etymology templates: {{m|en|bat||flutter}} bat (“flutter”) Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} bat an eyelid (third-person singular simple present bats an eyelid, present participle batting an eyelid, simple past and past participle batted an eyelid)
  1. (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To react in any slight way; to respond; to care. Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: flinch, bat an eye, bat an eyelash Derived forms: without batting an eyelid Related terms: bat one's eyes, turn a hair Translations (to react in any slight way): ռեակցիա տալ (ṙeakcʻia tal) (Armenian), տանձին լինել (tanjin linel) (Armenian), 眨眼 (zhǎyǎn) (Chinese Mandarin), räpäyttää silmää (Finnish), väräyttää eväänsä (Finnish), mit der Wimper zucken (German), negative polarity only) szeme se rebben (english: (all) (Hungarian), arcizma se rándul (Hungarian), szemrebbenés nélkül (Hungarian), battere ciglio (Italian), heve et øyelokk (Norwegian), heve et øyenbryn (Norwegian), моргну́ть гла́зом (morgnútʹ glázom) (Russian), inmutarse (Spanish), höja på ögonbrynen (Swedish)

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for bat an eyelid meaning in English (5.5kB)

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  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bat",
        "3": "",
        "4": "flutter"
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      "expansion": "bat (“flutter”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From bat (“flutter”), circa 1900.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bats an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "batting an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "batted an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "batted an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
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      "expansion": "bat an eyelid (third-person singular simple present bats an eyelid, present participle batting an eyelid, simple past and past participle batted an eyelid)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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          "parents": [
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          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "without batting an eyelid"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When laptop computers first came out they were something of a novelty. These days, nobody bats an eyelid.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914, Edgar Beecher Bronson, The Vanguard, page 155",
          "text": "[…]he got the drop on Cox, the only time I had seen or heard of its being done — had his pistol out and stuck in Cox's face before Cox could bat an eyelid.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Pete Takeda, An Eye at the Top of the World, page 116",
          "text": "If you were to walk into a salon in America after a few 10–12 hour days of sweaty, dusty travel with no shower, you'd probably be politely asked to leave and not return until you've cleaned up. But here in a land whose resources and infrastructure cannot sustain such frivolity, the barber doesn't even bat an eyelid.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Fionn Davenport, Dublin Encounter, page 153",
          "text": "Dublin's not a bad place to be gay. Most people wouldn't bat an eyelid at public displays of affection between same-sex couples[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To react in any slight way; to respond; to care."
      ],
      "id": "en-bat_an_eyelid-en-verb-FXGDuY7t",
      "links": [
        [
          "react",
          "react"
        ],
        [
          "slight",
          "slight"
        ],
        [
          "respond",
          "respond"
        ],
        [
          "care",
          "care"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To react in any slight way; to respond; to care."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "in the negative"
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "bat one's eyes"
        },
        {
          "word": "turn a hair"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "flinch"
        },
        {
          "word": "bat an eye"
        },
        {
          "word": "bat an eyelash"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "ṙeakcʻia tal",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "ռեակցիա տալ"
        },
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "tanjin linel",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "տանձին լինել"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "zhǎyǎn",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "眨眼"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "räpäyttää silmää"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "väräyttää eväänsä"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "mit der Wimper zucken"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "english": "(all",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "negative polarity only) szeme se rebben"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "arcizma se rándul"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "szemrebbenés nélkül"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "battere ciglio"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "heve et øyelokk"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "heve et øyenbryn"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "morgnútʹ glázom",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "моргну́ть гла́зом"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "гла́зом не моргну́ть (glázom ne morgnútʹ, literally “not to wink an eye”)",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "tags": [
            "negative"
          ]
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "у́хом не повести́ (úxom ne povestí, literally “not to stir an ear”)",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "tags": [
            "negative"
          ]
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "inmutarse"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to react in any slight way",
          "word": "höja på ögonbrynen"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-bat an eyelid.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/61/En-au-bat_an_eyelid.ogg/En-au-bat_an_eyelid.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/En-au-bat_an_eyelid.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bat an eyelid"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "without batting an eyelid"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bat",
        "3": "",
        "4": "flutter"
      },
      "expansion": "bat (“flutter”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From bat (“flutter”), circa 1900.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bats an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "batting an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "batted an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "batted an eyelid",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "bat an eyelid (third-person singular simple present bats an eyelid, present participle batting an eyelid, simple past and past participle batted an eyelid)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "bat one's eyes"
    },
    {
      "word": "turn a hair"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English negative polarity items",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When laptop computers first came out they were something of a novelty. These days, nobody bats an eyelid.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914, Edgar Beecher Bronson, The Vanguard, page 155",
          "text": "[…]he got the drop on Cox, the only time I had seen or heard of its being done — had his pistol out and stuck in Cox's face before Cox could bat an eyelid.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Pete Takeda, An Eye at the Top of the World, page 116",
          "text": "If you were to walk into a salon in America after a few 10–12 hour days of sweaty, dusty travel with no shower, you'd probably be politely asked to leave and not return until you've cleaned up. But here in a land whose resources and infrastructure cannot sustain such frivolity, the barber doesn't even bat an eyelid.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Fionn Davenport, Dublin Encounter, page 153",
          "text": "Dublin's not a bad place to be gay. Most people wouldn't bat an eyelid at public displays of affection between same-sex couples[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To react in any slight way; to respond; to care."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "react",
          "react"
        ],
        [
          "slight",
          "slight"
        ],
        [
          "respond",
          "respond"
        ],
        [
          "care",
          "care"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To react in any slight way; to respond; to care."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "in the negative"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "flinch"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-bat an eyelid.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/61/En-au-bat_an_eyelid.ogg/En-au-bat_an_eyelid.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/En-au-bat_an_eyelid.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "bat an eye"
    },
    {
      "word": "bat an eyelash"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "ṙeakcʻia tal",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "ռեակցիա տալ"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "tanjin linel",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "տանձին լինել"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "zhǎyǎn",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "眨眼"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "räpäyttää silmää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "väräyttää eväänsä"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "mit der Wimper zucken"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "english": "(all",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "negative polarity only) szeme se rebben"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "arcizma se rándul"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "szemrebbenés nélkül"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "battere ciglio"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "heve et øyelokk"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "heve et øyenbryn"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "morgnútʹ glázom",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "моргну́ть гла́зом"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "гла́зом не моргну́ть (glázom ne morgnútʹ, literally “not to wink an eye”)",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "tags": [
        "negative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "у́хом не повести́ (úxom ne povestí, literally “not to stir an ear”)",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "tags": [
        "negative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "inmutarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to react in any slight way",
      "word": "höja på ögonbrynen"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bat an eyelid"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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