Idiom
Keep your eyes peeled
To keep your eyes peeled means to watch carefully and stay alert so you notice something.
How people use it
People say this when looking out for something specific: a road sign, a parking spot, a friend in a crowd, wildlife on a hike. The usual pattern is "keep your eyes peeled for something." The pronoun changes with the speaker: "keep our eyes peeled," "keep his eyes peeled." It is informal and friendly. A similar, older form is "keep your eyes skinned." It means watching for something, not staring at one thing.
Also said: keep your eyes skinned.
Examples
- Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station, because we're almost out of fuel.
- The guide told us to keep our eyes peeled for dolphins near the boat.
- Keep your eyes peeled for Grandma at the airport, since she's wearing a red hat.
Where it comes from
To peel something is to remove its outer layer, so the idea is eyes wide open, with nothing covering them. The phrase was in American use by the middle of the 1800s, alongside "keep your eyes skinned." A story linking it to the Peelers, the early London police named after Robert Peel, has no good evidence behind it.
Check yourself
1. Your friend says, "Keep your eyes peeled for our exit." What should you do?
Answer: Watch carefully for the exit. The idiom means stay alert and watch closely.
2. Which story about the origin is not supported by evidence?
Answer: It comes from the early London police called Peelers. There is no good evidence for the Peelers story.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in PEELED.