Raise Eyebrows

Raise (a few) Eyebrows

idiom

To cause surprise or shock

Jemma’s miniskirt raised a few eyebrows at the board meeting.

Cambridge Dictionary

Raise an eyebrow to raise your eyebrows

If something causes you to raise an eyebrow or to raise your eyebrows, it causes you to feel surprised or disapproving.

An intriguing item on the news pages caused me to raise an eyebrow over my morning coffee.
He raised his eyebrows over some of the suggestions.
He was looking at her with his eyebrows raised questioningly.

Collins Cobuilt

The Britannica Dictionary   Ask the Editor

Question

What does it mean to “raise eyebrows”? — Sammy, Ghana

Answer

To raise eyebrows means to cause other people to react with surprise or mild disapproval. To raise an/your eyebrow means to move your eyebrows up in a way that shows surprise or mild disapproval.

Both of these phrases are often used figuratively.

The following example sentences show how each phrased is used.


To raise eyebrows

Her sudden outburst in class raised eyebrows. [=classmates reacted with surprise or mild disapproval to her outburst]
He raised eyebrows when he walked down the street in a winter coat during summer. [=people were surprised to see him in clothing that was not appropriate for the weather]

The band’s new album is raising eyebrows [=causing people to act with surprise or disapproval] with its shocking lyrics.

The scandal raised eyebrows
[=caused surprise and/or disapproval] all over town.

To raise an/your eyebrow

He raised an eyebrow at his mother when she bought a sports car. [=he was surprised that his mother bought a sports car]
The townspeople raised their eyebrows at the new strict laws. [=they felt disapproval towards the new laws]
No one raised an eyebrow [=no one was surprised] when he quit his job; he never liked it anyway.
Her brother raised an eyebrow [=he expressed surprise and/or disapproval] when she told him she was moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

The Britannica Dictionary


Raise your eyebrows

To move your eyebrows upwards in order to show surprise or disapproval

‘Really?’ she said, raising her eyebrows.
This decision caused a few raised eyebrows (=surprised some people).

→ eyebrow
Examples from the Corpus
raise your eyebrows
• She did not speak when he raised his eyebrows the second time, so in went onions, mustard and ketchup.
• He raised his eyebrows but he didn’t actually skewer my hand to his desk with his favourite kris.
• While he was pouring the drinks Ron the landlord raised his eyebrows at me.
• Your facial expressions can help to emphasize parts of your speech too: try smiling, scowling, or raising your eyebrows.
• Rose raised his eyebrows and drank a cup of Mrs Burbanks’ tea.
• She raised her eyebrows and drew out a hank of hair, backing slowly away from me.
raise your eyebrows
to show surprise, doubt, disapproval etc by moving your eyebrows upwards
Blanche raised her eyebrows in surprise.

→ raise
Examples from the Corpus
raise your eyebrows
• Your facial expressions can help to emphasize parts of your speech too: try smiling, scowling, or raising your eyebrows.
• Rose raised his eyebrows and drank a cup of Mrs Burbanks’ tea.
• She raised her eyebrows and drew out a hank of hair, backing slowly away from me.
• While he was pouring the drinks Ron the landlord raised his eyebrows at me.
• He raised his eyebrows but he didn’t actually skewer my hand to his desk with his favourite kris.
• Karen smiled and raised her eyebrows: Check that!
• She did not speak when he raised his eyebrows the second time, so in went onions, mustard and ketchup.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Go the extra mile

Current page

Walk a mile

Nails at low tide

Proof of the Pudding

Perceptive

The dignity of the lawyer

It is not acceptable for the lawyer to secretly disrupt a judicial event

and thus effortlessly destroy the life of someone of good character

who has done no wrong.

In a justice system used for the wrong reasons,

one plays with a life of a human being or even a child

just like the Candid Camera.

It is ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.

It is a disconcerting question regarding the lawyer

Are you still human?

Is this still a society?

If a lawyer uses unlawful practices against his or her better judgment

then you get an unlawful decision anyway.

Consequently, fiddling in that way is pointless.

Scamming in that way makes no sense.

In particular, it is meaningless if reality is known by each.

“Raise eyebrows” is an idiomatic expression that can have multiple meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Here are some key points about this phrase:

  1. Meaning: “Raise eyebrows” generally means to cause surprise, shock, or disapproval in others due to something unexpected, unusual, or controversial. It often implies that something has caught attention or caused a reaction that is noteworthy or potentially controversial.

  2. Facial expression: The literal action of raising one’s eyebrows is often associated with surprise or disbelief. It involves lifting the eyebrows upward, typically in a quick and noticeable manner, which can convey emotions such as shock, skepticism, or curiosity.

  3. Social cues: When someone says or does something that raises eyebrows, it can be interpreted as deviating from social norms, conventions, or expectations. It may result in others reacting with curiosity, skepticism, or disapproval, depending on the context and cultural norms.

  4. Context-dependent: The meaning and connotation of “raising eyebrows” can vary greatly depending on the situation, cultural background, and individuals involved. What may raise eyebrows in one cultural or social context may not have the same effect in another.

  5. Usage: “Raise eyebrows” is commonly used in informal conversations, discussions, and written language, such as news articles, social media, and literature, to describe actions, events, or statements that are unexpected, controversial, or attention-catching.

  6. Examples: Some examples of how “raise eyebrows” can be used in sentences are:

  • His extravagant spending habits raised eyebrows among his colleagues.
  • The politician’s controversial statement about immigration policy raised eyebrows among the public.
  • The new fashion trend of wearing mismatched socks has been raising eyebrows in the fashion industry.
  • Her sudden change in behavior at the party raised eyebrows and sparked speculation.


In summary, “raise eyebrows” is an idiomatic expression that conveys surprise, shock, or disapproval due to unexpected or unusual actions, events, or statements. It is context-dependent and commonly used in informal language to describe situations that deviate from social norms or expectations.

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Go the extra mile

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Walk a mile

Nails at low tide

Proof of the Pudding

Perceptive