On April 18, 1775 many people in Boston kept their eyes peeled on the steeple of the Old North Church. There, two signal lanterns warned of British troops approaching by sea. This American history event became well known in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, Paul Revere’s Ride.

The literal meaning of keep your eyes peeled sounds painful. However, the idiom suggests we watch closely to prevent pain or problems.

Similar expressions include:

• Keep your eyes skinned.
• Keep your eyes open.

If you keep your eyes peeled, you try not to blink too often or too long.

You want to stay alert to everything around you. Your eyelids are the eye’s skin or peel. When you blink, you chance missing what you want to see.

With your eyes peeled, you watch carefully for someone or something.

You might watch for:

• A check in the mail
• Bargains at a favorite store
• An acceptance letter from your favorite school

You do not want to miss it.

You might also watch for the beauty around you:

• Birds and animals
• Mountains, lakes, or fields
• Clouds, sunrises, and sunsets

Your focus – where you keep your eyes peeled – guides your life’s direction.

Stay wise as an owl. Choose your focus carefully.

Few things last forever. Not:

• Money
• Possessions
• Status

Find eternal value in a relationship with the one who created you, eyes and all.

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NIV).

Thanks to Marilyn from Oklahoma for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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