subs. (old).—1. A poacher working with a blackened face (1722).
2. (old).—A mute (1619).
3. (old).—Generic for mischief and malign influence: e.g., A BLACK (= unfortunate, or unpropitious) DAY; A BLACK (= very great) SHAME; A BLACK (= unfeeling) HEART; A BLACK (= mischief-working) WITCH; BLACK (= foul) MOUTHED; etc.
PHRASES:—TO LOOK BLACK = to frown, to scowl, to look angrily; TO SAY BLACK IS ANYONE’S EYE, (EYEBROW, NAIL, etc.) = to find fault, to lay to charge: a modern rendering is BLACK IS THE WHITE OF YOUR EYE; BLACK-BABBLING = malicious talk.
c. 1400. OCCLEVE, MS. Soc. Antiq. 134, f. 267.
| The riche and myȝty man, thouȝe he trespace, | |
| No man sayeth onis that BLAK IS HIS YȜE. |
[?]. The Tell Tale, Dulwich College MS. Why, yow have named yt a fooles, madam. A foole may doe all things, and no man say BLACK’S HIS EYE.
1528. ROY and BARLOW, Rede me and be nott wrothe.
| They eate their bellies full … | |
| And none sayth—BLACKE IS HIS EYE! |
1583. P. STUBBS, The Anatomie of Abuses, 65. And then no man say BLACKE IS THEIR EYE, but all is well, and they as good Christians, as those that suffer them unpunished.
1625. JONSON, The Staple of News, 1st Intermean. He is the very justice o’ peace of the play, and can commit whom he will, and what he will, error, absurdity, as the toy takes him, and no man say BLACK IS HIS EYE, but laugh at him.
1633. SHIRLEY, The Bird in Cage [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), viii. 233]. If you have a mind to rail at ’em, or kick some of their loose flesh out, they sha’ not say BLACK’S YOUR EYE, nor with all their lynx’s eyes discover you.
1647. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, Love’s Cure, iii., 1. I can say BLACK’S YOUR EYE, though it be grey; I have conniv’d at this your friend, and you.
1750. FIELDING, Tom Jones, IX., iv. The house is well known to be a house of as good reputation as any on the road, and though I say it, is frequented by gentry of the best quality, both Irish and English. I defy any body, to say BLACK IS MY EYE, for that matter.
