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Etymology Journal ยท Y

You're gonna put an eye out

Meaning

A parental classic used when children are playing with something sharp, pointy, or projectile-based. It emphasizes the extreme risk of a minor game.

Caring, hyperbolic

Used in a sentence

  • Put that stick down, you are gonna put an eye out!
  • Do not run with scissors or you are gonna put an eye out.
  • Stop shooting that rubber band, you are gonna put an eye out.

The backstory

This is a staple of American parenting wisdom. It highlights the irrational fear that every harmless game will inevitably end in a trip to the emergency room.

Heard in

Nationwide

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