bat

3
[ bat ]
/ bæt /

verb (used with object), bat·ted, bat·ting.

to blink; wink; flutter.

Idioms for bat

    not bat an eye, to show no emotion or surprise; maintain a calm exterior: The murderer didn't bat an eye when the jury announced its verdict of guilty.

Origin of bat

3
First recorded in 1605–15; variant of bate2

Words nearby bat

bastogne, bastrop, basuto, basutoland, basw, bat, bat an eye, bat around, bat boy, bat chayil, bat girl

British Dictionary definitions for not bat an eye (1 of 3)

bat 1
/ (bæt) /

noun

verb bats, batting or batted

(tr) to strike with or as if with a bat
(intr) sport (of a player or a team) to take a turn at batting
See also bat around

Word Origin for bat

Old English batt club, probably of Celtic origin; compare Gaelic bat, Russian bat

British Dictionary definitions for not bat an eye (2 of 3)

bat 2
/ (bæt) /

noun

any placental mammal of the order Chiroptera, being a nocturnal mouselike animal flying with a pair of membranous wings (patagia). The group is divided into the Megachiroptera (fruit bats) and Microchiroptera (insectivorous bats) Related adjective: chiropteran
slang an irritating or eccentric woman (esp in the phrase old bat)
blind as a bat having extremely poor eyesight
have bats in the belfry or have bats in one's belfry informal to be mad or eccentric; have strange ideas
like a bat out of hell slang very quickly

Derived forms of bat

batlike, adjective

Word Origin for bat

C14 bakke, probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse ledhrblaka leather-flapper, Swedish dialect natt-batta night bat

British Dictionary definitions for not bat an eye (3 of 3)

bat 3
/ (bæt) /

verb bats, batting or batted (tr)

to wink or flutter (one's eyelids)
not bat an eye or not bat an eyelid informal to show no surprise or concern

Word Origin for bat

C17: probably a variant of bate ²

Idioms and Phrases with not bat an eye (1 of 2)

not bat an eye

see bat an eye.

Idioms and Phrases with not bat an eye (2 of 2)

bat