eye up

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eye up (third-person singular simple present eyes up, present participle eyeing up or eying up, simple past and past participle eyed up)

1. (idiomatic, colloquial) To examine closely something coveted.

   Synonyms: give someone the eye, eyeball (verb)

   That creep in the corner was eyeing me up.

   The dog was eyeing up my steak.

   • 2025 April 16, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Wales”, in RAIL, number 1033, page 25:

     Llanelli: An empty piece of land south of the station is being eyed up by Carmarthenshire Council, to create a better interchange for buses and taxis, and to build a car park.

   • 2025 December 24, Andy Comfort, “Signalling a change in training”, in RAIL, number 1051, page 28:

     Sitting in one of the booths (with table and comfy seats) in the open plan ground floor reception, Network Rail Business Change Manager Sarah Newman explains how NR had been eyeing up the building in late 2024, with work starting on site in August 2025.

2. (idiomatic, colloquial) To examine casually by eye, with little or no measuring or testing.

   Synonym: eyeball (verb)

   Hey, while you're there, take a look at their furnace. You don't have to inspect it — just eye it up and tell me whether it's decrepit or not.