keep one's eyes off

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Definition

Verb phrase: - To consciously avoid looking at something or someone; to refrain from directing one's gaze toward a specific person or object, often because it is inappropriate, tempting, or dangerous.

Usage

This phrase is used to give a direct command or strong piece of advice. It instructs someone to actively avoid looking at a specific target. It implies that looking could lead to trouble, temptation, or offense.

Examples
Advanced Usage
  • The phrase often carries a connotation of moral or social restraint. It is not just about physical sight but about exercising self-control and respect.
  • It can be used in a protective sense, advising someone to avoid something that might be psychologically or emotionally harmful.
    • After the breakup, she tried to keep her eyes off his social media profiles to help herself heal.
Variants and Related Words
  • Keep one's hands off: To avoid touching something. While "keep one's eyes off" is about sight, this variant is about physical contact.
    • Please keep your hands off the wet paint.
  • Look away: A simpler verb phrase meaning to turn one's eyes away from something.
    • The scene was so gruesome he had to look away.
Synonyms
  • Avoid looking at: To deliberately not look.
  • Avert one's eyes/gaze: To turn one's eyes away.
  • Refrain from looking: To hold back from looking.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Idioms
  • Turn a blind eye (to): To pretend not to notice something bad or wrong. This idiom implies willful ignorance, whereas "keep one's eyes off" is a conscious act of avoidance.
    • The manager turned a blind eye to the minor safety violations.
  • Steer clear of: To avoid completely. This is a broader term that can apply to physical proximity, involvement, or, metaphorically, even one's attention.
    • You should steer clear of that neighborhood at night.
Verb
  1. stay clear of, avoid
    • Keep your hands off my wife!
    • Keep your distance from this man--he is dangerous

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