roll one's eyes

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

roll one's eyes (third-person singular simple present rolls one's eyes, present participle rolling one's eyes, simple past and past participle rolled one's eyes)

1. (idiomatic) To deliberately turn one's eyes upwards, usually to indicate disapproval, indifference or frustration.
   • 1859, Edward William Lane, Edward Stanley Poole, The Thousand and One Nights‎^[1]:

     […] when these three men looked at the porter, they saw that he was intoxicated; and, observing him narrowly, they thought that he was one of their own class, and said, He is a mendicant like ourselves, and will amuse us by his conversation:—but the porter, hearing what they said, arose, and rolled his eyes, and exclaimed to them, Sit quiet, and abstain from impertinent remarks.

   • 2022 September 27, Barclay Bram, “My Therapist, the Robot”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     Woebot was full of tasks and tricks — little mental health hacks — which at first made me roll my eyes. One day Woebot asked me to press an ice cube to my forehead, to feel the sensation as a way of better connecting with my body.

   • 2025 October 15, 'Mystery Shopper', “About Anglia... and high scores”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 54:

     Once again, the WiFi isn't willing to work. When the guard comes to check tickets, I ask him if it ever works. He rolls his eyes and tells me it rarely does. He says I'll be lucky if I get it to connect. I give up trying.

2. (idiomatic, archaic) As definition 1, but indicating flirtation or desire.