| 单词 | the eye of the law |
| 释义 | > as lemmasthe eye of the law c. slang (originally U.S.). (a) (A name for) the Pinkerton National Detective Agency (see Pinkerton adj. and n.); a member of this (now rare); (b) (more generally) a detective or a detective agency, esp. a private one; a private eye (also occasionally the eye of the law); (c) a lookout man (rare).In its earliest sense, originally more fully the eye that never sleeps (and variants), the motto of the Pinkerton detective agency (also ‘we never sleep’), which was often printed around the image of an eye.Later use is predominantly in sense 6c(b), esp. as a shortening of private eye n.; cf. also PI n. at P n. Initialisms. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > one who sees > [noun] > watcher or look-out showerOE tootera1382 waiter1382 night watcha1400 scout-watcha1400 looker-out1562 night-watcher1569 watcher1572 scout1585 bishop1592 speculator1607 lookout1662 speculatory1775 lookout man1787 stagger1859 dog1870 eye1874 the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > procedures used in spying > [noun] > private detection > person engaged in private detective1857 eye1874 Pinkerton1877 ferret1891 consultant1894 private investigator1894 Sherlock Holmes1896 operative1901 Sherlock1903 Sherlockian1903 Pink1904 peeper1908 private dick1912 op1924 shamus1925 private eye1938 PI1953 peep1974 1874 Inter Ocean (Chicago) 13 June 12/3 The great American Detective Bureau has succumbed to the sell of the period; the eye that ‘is always open’ has been found unable to see through a mill-stone with a hole in it. 1880 Decatur (Illinois) Daily Rev. 17 Feb. It may seen a wonder how such an institution as Pinkerton's can pass investigation... The ‘eye that never sleeps’ is open for more purposes than the public generally is aware of. 1900 ‘J. Flynt’ & ‘F. Walton’ Powers that Prey iii. 21 Old 'Frisco Slim touched up one o' the big joolry places not knowin' that it was in the Eye's dead-line. 1901 J. Flynt World of Graft 138 ‘The eye of the law’ oversteps the boundaries of his jurisdiction and compromises himself. 1914 L. E. Jackson & C. R. Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 31 Eye (the),..The Pinkerton Detective Agency; an operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Example: ‘Blow this joint; it's protected by the Eye.’ 1936 J. G. Brandon Pawnshop Murder x. 90 As the existence of this watcher had been known for some considerable time to Inspector McCarthy..that astute young gentleman gave the ‘eye’ no chance to weigh upon him. 1955 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. No. 24. 141 The [Pinkerton Detective] agency is called the eye, from its trademark, the all-seeing eye. 1964 H. Kane Snatch Eye iii. 34 I want you to meet this eye, but never alone, because this is an eye with an eye for the broads. 1996 M. Coleman Net Bandits vii. 82 An eye! A private eye! I bet that's what it stands for! < as lemmas |
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