Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb & adjective With a sidelong glance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To or out at the corner or angle of the eye; obliquely; toward one side; not in the straight line of vision; askance; furtively.
  • In the condition of squinting; oblique.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb With the eye directed to one side; not in the straight line of vision; obliquely; awry, so as to see distortedly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Looking sideways, as though warily.
  • adverb In a manner with narrowed eyes.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (used especially of glances) directed to one side with or as if with doubt or suspicion or envy

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English : a-, on; see a– + -squint; akin to skwyn (in of skwyn, obliquely).]

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Examples

  • Christian use; and stand condemned by us, not as evil in themselves, but as allurements and baits of superstition to those vulgar heads that look asquint on the face of truth, and those unstable judgments that cannot resist in the narrow point and centre of virtue without a reel or stagger to the circumference.

    Religio Medici 2007

  • I know God is wise in all; wonderful in what we conceive, but far more in what we comprehend not: for we behold him but asquint, upon reflex or shadow; our understanding is dimmer than

    Religio Medici 2007

  • As to others, it was Sir Robert Filmer, a strong defender of patriarchal and monarchical authority, who observed that "Cardinal Bellarmine and Calvin both look asquint this way."

    Luther and Calvin Preisinger, Arthur A. 1983

  • Which mistake the Greek version seems to patronise; I will send you Elias the Tishbite; which word the Tishbite, they add of themselves in favour of their own tradition; which indeed is too frequent a usage in that version to look so far asquint towards the Jewish traditions as to do injury to the sacred text.

    From the Talmud and Hebraica 1602-1675 1979

  • Delight with the Former; but especially for Persons that have the unhappiness of looking asquint, it is an excellent Disposer of the sight, to a direct Line, and helps that _Watermans_ quality of _Looking one way, and Rowing another_.

    The School of Recreation (1684 edition) Or, The Gentlemans Tutor, to those Most Ingenious Exercises of Hunting, Racing, Hawking, Riding, Cock-fighting, Fowling, Fishing Robert Howlett

  • The first is the meere vizor of zeale, looking asquint one way and tending another; pretending God and his glory, intending some private and sinister end; first, either of honour and promotion, as _Jehu_, who marched furiously, and his word was the Lord of hosts, but his project was the kingdome.

    A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at Ipswich Samuel Ward

  • I have been happy in this little flat; only -- "she leaned back and inclined her head with her eyes asquint --" only the paper in this room is atrocious; it's a typical landlord's selection -- McGaw picked it out.

    Americans All Stories of American Life of To-Day Various

  • I know He is wise in all, wonderful in what we conceive, but far more in what we comprehend not; for we behold Him but asquint, upon reflex or shadow; our understanding is dimmer than Moses Eye; we are ignorant of the back-parts or lower side of His Divinity; therefore to prie into the maze of His Counsels is not only folly in man, but presumption even in Angels.

    Religio Medici 1605-1682 1923

  • "Cardinal Bellarmine and Calvin both look asquint this way".

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 11: New Mexico-Philip 1840-1916 1913

  • As had been agreed upon, I followed my three men humbly and at a slight distance, my eyes discreetly downcast, only taking mental notes asquint as I passed.

    High Albania Mary Edith 1909

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