PhrasesHub

glazing over

    Definitions

      • lose interest or focus
        When someone's eyes glaze over, they are no longer paying attention because they are bored or disinterested

      • appear shiny or reflective
        Typically used to describe the surface of something, like a donut or a freshly painted wall, that has a shiny or reflective appearance

    Examples of glazing over

    • During the CEO's long-winded presentation, some of the board members began glazing over as they lost interest in the repetitive data being presented.

      Glazing over is a figure of speech that describes the way someone's eyes may seem to become glassy or almost covered by a film, when they start to lose interest or become bored in a situation. In this example, the board members' eyes may have seemed to become glazed over as they struggled to stay focused on the presentation.

    • The teacher's lectures were so dull that students' necks started glazing over as their heads fell to their chests.

      In this example, the students' necks became a visual representation of their glazed-over eyes as they lost interest in the teacher's boring lectures.

    • The artist's explanation of the meaning behind her artwork left the audience glazing over as she rambled on endlessly.

      In this example, the audience's eyes may have seemed to become glassy as the artist spoke at length about her artwork, losing the audience's attention.

    • The salesman's pitch was so long-winded that even the coffee in the room began glazing over as he talked and talked.

      In this unique and creative example, the coffee serves as a visual representation of the glazed-over effect that could be seen in the eyes of the salesman's audience as they lost interest in his lengthy pitch.

    • The finance report filled with numbers and graphs was presented to the board of directors, but some of them started glazing over halfway through the presentation as their eyes lost focus and seemed to blur.

      This idiom is commonly used to describe the reaction of someone who has lost interest or concentration in something, causing their focus to become hazy or blank. In this example, the board members became disinterested in the technical information presented in the finance report, causing their eyes to become glazed over.


    Conclusion

    The idiom "glazing over" can be used to describe someone losing interest or focus, as well as something appearing shiny or reflective.

    Origin of "glazing over"

    The origin of the idiom "glazing over" likely comes from the literal process of glazing, which involves applying a shiny or reflective coating to a surface, such as with glazed pottery or glazed donuts. When someone's eyes "glaze over," it may be a visual metaphor for their eyes taking on a shiny or reflective appearance, indicating a lack of focus or interest. This usage likely evolved over time to also encompass the concept of losing interest or focus in a more general sense. Overall, the idiom likely originated from the visual and tactile qualities of actual glazing processes. For example, "Her eyes glazed over as the lecture droned on," or "The freshly painted walls were glazing over in the sunlight."