boss-eyed
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Said of a person with one eye, or rather with one eye injured, a person with an obliquity of vision. In this sense sometimes varied by the term "swivel-eyed."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “boss-eyed” mean?
Said of a person with one eye, or rather with one eye injured, a person with an obliquity of vision. In this sense sometimes varied by the term "swivel-eyed."
Is “boss-eyed” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.