every shut eye isn't asleep

proverb

One must be careful, because some people who seem not to be paying attention are actually paying attention.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. especially African-American VernacularOne must be careful, because some people who seem not to be paying attention are actually paying attention.

    “Hi, Daddy. I thought you were asleep.” “All closed eyes aren't sleep, baby,” he said, and peeped at his watch.

    2007, Monica McKayhan, Indigo Summer, →ISBN, page 125
    1 more example

    The other girls appeared to be sleeping through it as well, but there's an old saying that says every closed eye isn't sleeping.

    2006, Sabrina Nixon, Victims of Change, →ISBN, page 150
Cite this entry
APA

every shut eye isn't asleep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/every%20shut%20eye%20isn't%20asleep

MLA

“every shut eye isn't asleep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/every%20shut%20eye%20isn't%20asleep. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “every shut eye isn't asleep,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/every%20shut%20eye%20isn't%20asleep.

Source: every shut eye isn't asleep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.