he has cut his eye-teeth
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
He is "wide awake," quite sophisticated; he has "his weather-eye open." The eye-teeth (i.e.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “he has cut his eye-teeth” mean?
He is "wide awake," quite sophisticated; he has "his weather-eye open." The eye-teeth (i.e.
Is “he has cut his eye-teeth” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.