Etymology

glint in the milkman's eye

Today it means: Someone or something that has not been born or conceived yet. Full definition →

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The story

Created by analogy with similar expressions such a glint in your father's eye, but implying the child was conceived adulterously; milkmen, visiting housewives while their husbands would have been at work, are often associated with adultery.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.