devil in one's eyes

English

Phrase

devil in one's eyes

1. A look that reflects an underlying trait that is associated with the devil
   1. A look that reflects an underlying evil or corruption
      • 1904, Jack London, The Sea-Wolf:

        At times I thought of throwing myself on the mercy of Wolf Larsen, but the vision of the mocking devil in his eyes that questioned life and sneered at it would come strong upon me and compel me to refrain.

      • 2011, Alice Perrin, Melissa Edmundson Makala, East of Suez, page 163:

        She was so glad to see me, and laughed and talked, but when she saw the devil in my eyes she grew frightened, and cried just as you heard her cry tonight.

      • 2013, Kathryn Erskine, Seeing Red:

        A few people say being tiny and white as an angel is a good omen, but far more say I'm evil, that I was the cause of that plague, and that they see the devil in my eyes.

      • 2019, S.C. Lark, Devil's Psycho:

        I can see the devil in your eyes that you try to keep a tight leash on.

      • 2019, Belle Love, Diary of a Disturbed Black Girl Pt IV:

        Her mom slapped fire out of her and had the look of the devil in her eyes as she did it.

   2. A lascivious look
      • 2014, Heather Huffman, Devil in Disguise:

        “Now are you going to put this ointment on my back or not?” Conrad's lip curled upward; he had the very devil in his eyes.

      • 2017, Larry Schweikart, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents:

        She despised the different cabals jockeying for political influence and particularly distrusted Hamilton (" I have seen the devil in his eyes,” she said, “his wicked eyes. The very devil is in them. They are lasciviousness itself”—though these observations are probably more about his lust for Maria Reynolds and other young women than about his politics.).

      • 2023, Ümmühan Yaşar, The Secret Of The Lost Ring, page 132:

        I saw the devil in your eyes that night. The way you looked at me was not yours. They were lustful looks from the devil to push me towards you.

   3. An expression of willfulness or defiance
      • 1901, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles:

        "Dear me!" said Holmes, "he seems a quiet, meek-mannered man enough, but I dare say that there was a lurking devil in his eyes. I had pictured him as a more robust and ruffianly person."

      • 1934, Robert E. Howard, The Shadow of the Vulture:

        Now, from the devil in her eyes, he saw that she intended making things further uncomfortable for him.

      • 2009, Jade Goody, Jade Goody: How It All Began, page xvi:

        I just looked at her with the devil in my eyes and replied, 'No. It's mine.' I was not letting go.

   4. A mischievous look
      • 1948, The Saturday Evening Post - Volume 221, page 68:

        I turned to leave, and Leah Beth was standing by the gate, an impish smile on her lips and the devil in her eyes.

      • 1994 July, Barry Hannah, “Big Country”, in SPIN, volume 10, number 4, page 40:

        A comparative photograph of Johnny at this time in the early *40s shows a boy rascally and snaggled, some of the merry devil in his eyes.

      • 2004, Jud McLester, Thru a Pilot's Eye: Cold War Through Vietnam Era, page 222:

        Scott was centered below Sheila, with a half grin and the devil in his eyes. You had to wonder whether he was thinking about some mischief he had just perpetrated or thinking about some new mischief he could get into.