Eyelid pull
{{Short description|Gesture in which the finger is used to pull one lower eyelid further down}}
The eyelid pull is a gesture in which the finger is used to pull one lower eyelid further down, exposing more of the eyeball. This gesture has different meanings in different cultures, but in many cultures, particularly in the Mediterranean, signifies alertness, or a warning to be watchful.{{cite book|author=James Hall|title=The Sinister Side: How Left-right Symbolism Shaped Western Art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IXX8_FMeTIsC&pg=PA99|date=23 October 2008|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-923086-0|pages=99–}}{{cite book|author=Suzanne Ruthven|title=Compass Points: Creating Meaningful Dialogue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBrtBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT41|date=26 September 2014|publisher=John Hunt Publishing|isbn=978-1-78279-529-2|pages=41–}}{{cite book|author=Paul Hardwick|title=English Medieval Misericords: The Margins of Meaning|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UjODkjR1aKgC&pg=PA76|year=2011|publisher=Boydell Press|isbn=978-1-84383-659-9|pages=76–}}
In the Italian language, one can say occhio (eye), not necessarily with the gesture, to signify the same.{{Cite web|title=English Translation of "occhio"|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/italian-english/occhio|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Collins Italian-English Dictionary|language=en}}
In France, the gesture of pulling down one's lower eyelid and saying mon œil, or "my eye", is an expression of disdainful, dismissive disbelief.[http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/monoeil.htm Mon œil!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224031715/http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/monoeil.htm |date=2017-02-24 }}
The French expression mon œil ! is used to express either incredulous/ironic disbelief, like the English expressions "my foot!" or "yeah, right!", or an almost indignant refusal, as in "no way!" or "ain't gonna happen!" Similar variations of the gesture exist in other European countries, for example Poland{{Cite web |date=August 2021 |title=Jedzie mi tu czołg? |url=https://untranslatable.co/p/mgodawa/jedzie-mi-tu-czolg |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Untranslatable}} or Turkey{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}. The phrase "my eye" is an outdated expression of disbelief in the English language, although without the gesture.[http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?t=18295 Word Wizard: My eye! / My foot!]
- 1842 “Church, MY EYE, woman! church indeed!”—‘Handy Andy’ by S. Lover
- 1905 “‘Tragic, MY EYE!’ said my friend irreverently.”—in ‘Works’ of O. Henry
- 1928 “Gentlemen, ME EYE! You’ve got to get over being gentleman if you’re going to play football on my team!”—in ‘Sport’ by Paxton
- 1929 ‘How about Bigelow's Mill . .. that's a factory.’ ‘Factory MY EYE.’”—‘The Sound and the Fury’ by Faulkner