# Describing eye movements.



## Outiboros (Mar 14, 2013)

English is a second language to me, and I've once again run into a barrier of sorts.

I'm trying and failing to find a goo description of a particular eye movement. It's the movement of anxiety, a rapid skittering around. 'Roving' seems too offensive, and 'twitching' is something else entirely. I'm at the end of the waste basket of words I know - do any of you have any ideas?


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## Lewdog (Mar 14, 2013)

Generally a person that is anxious will look from side to side, and they rarely look at the person they are talking to.


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## Sam (Mar 14, 2013)

'Oscillating' is a good one. I've also seen eyes being described as 'flittering' from side to side. You could keep it simple and say "his/her eyes moved back and forth nervously". No need to be colourful when it's an act that everyone knows and therefore can envision with a simple description. Save the descriptive language for scenes that need to be precisely conveyed.


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## Outiboros (Mar 14, 2013)

Sam said:


> 'Oscillating' is a good one. I've also seen eyes being described as 'flittering' from side to side. You could keep it simple and say "his/her eyes moved back and forth nervously". No need to be colourful when it's an act that everyone knows and therefore can envision with a simple description. Save the descriptive language for scenes that need to be precisely conveyed.


True, that's why I was looking for a single word, to keep it somewhat streamlined.
I'll try fluttering/flittering.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 14, 2013)

I would avoid fluttering, that is what young ladies do with eyelids when they want to look attractive or coy, flittering is good, also flickering; though it is not the usual meaning of the word, "His eyes flickered from side to side" would be generally understood I think.


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## Sam (Mar 14, 2013)

What Olly said about 'fluttering'. 

It's not the word you want to convey eyes moving from side to side and nervously. Eyelashes flutter. Eyes flitter.


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## Angelwing (Mar 14, 2013)

I don't think anyone's mentioned "strafed." To strafe usually means to move side to side (at least in bodily movement. Strafing in aerial combat means diving towards the ground to rake it with machine gun fire )


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## Ariel (Mar 14, 2013)

I kind of like what Outiboros used in his first post.  It feels fresh to me.  "His eyes skittered around nervously."  I get it and it's actually a really good description.


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## Bloggsworth (Mar 14, 2013)

Flickering, darting, evasive, sidelong, downcast, quivering, wavering, vacillating and flittering spring to mind - Nystagmus is the medical condition where the eyes move about rapidly and uncontrollably.


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## Staff Deployment (Mar 14, 2013)

Here's a common one people missed: "His eyes flitted from left to right."
To flit means to move swiftly and lightly and is generally paired with either birds or eyes.



amsawtell said:


> I kind of like what Outiboros used in his first post.  It feels fresh to me.  "His eyes skittered around nervously."  I get it and it's actually a really good description.



Of course, Amsawtell points out the best answer here.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 14, 2013)

Angelwing said:


> I don't think anyone's mentioned "strafed." To strafe usually means to move side to side (at least in bodily movement. Strafing in aerial combat means diving towards the ground to rake it with machine gun fire )


Sorry, the military connection has become too strong for this to work for me in other connections, and all the dictionary definitions I can find refer to a Germanic origin in a word meaning 'punishment' and make no mention of side to side movement.


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## Angelwing (Mar 14, 2013)

Olly Buckle said:


> Sorry, the military connection has become too strong for this to work for me in other connections, and all the dictionary definitions I can find refer to a Germanic origin in a word meaning 'punishment' and make no mention of side to side movement.



Indeed I think it's more of a common usage type thing (as far as moving side to side)...like the word "Limo" in Scrabble  

It was just my two cents anyhoo


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## Lewdog (Mar 14, 2013)

Personally "darted about" sounds best to me.  Or "darted back and forth" would be fine as well.


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## Angelwing (Mar 14, 2013)

After thinking about it for a minute, I think "darting" or "skittering" may be the best options.


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## JosephB (Mar 14, 2013)

Gertrude's eyes ping-ponged erratically from side-to-side as she tried to explain her whereabouts on the night of Basil's murder.


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## Sam (Mar 14, 2013)

_I_ wouldn't use 'skitter'. In my neck of the woods, that word is used to describe a bad case of diarrhoea.


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## Lewdog (Mar 14, 2013)

When I see skitter I think or bugs and cockroaches.


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## Ariel (Mar 15, 2013)

Sam said:


> _I_ wouldn't use 'skitter'. In my neck of the woods, that word is used to describe a bad case of diarrhoea.


That would certainly make it a troublesome description in your neck of the woods.

As far as reminding you of an insect, Lew, that's just fine.  Insects seem nervous to me too.


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