eyelock

plural eyelocks · alternative eye lock · alternative eye-lock

1. countableuncountableAn occurrence of mutual staring, where each person gazes fixedly into the other's eyes.

   The first one to break the eyelock by looking away, dropping the eyes, or closing the eyes was the loser.

   1988, Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Intercultural communication: a reader, page 295

   2 more examples

   Finally, when the Sunday School classes marched into church for the last hour of the service, there would be added to the congregation young boys and girls, secured to their seats by the eyelocks of stern teachers.

   1983, Harry Mark Petrakis, Reflections: A Writer's Life, a Writer's Work, page 21

   But this girl in the flimsy dress, a girl who couldn't seem to break eyelock with the Greek god standing behind her?

   2013, Joan Kilby, Gentlemen Prefer Nerds

present singular third person eyelocks · participle present eyelocking · participle past eyelocked · past eyelocked · alternative eye lock · alternative eye-lock

1. To lock eyes (with).

   Giant Kurt Stregner pauses, sneers as he eyelocks Joe.

   2012, Iceberg Slim, Doom Fox

   2 more examples

   We eyelocked, looked really hard at eachother,^([sic]) each one thinking the other was the strange thing in the fishtank.

   1999, Gale Zoë Garnett, Visible amazement: a novel, page 106

   He had these impossibly dark eyes, the intense kind that looked like they knew what you were thinking, even before you did. We both looked away so fast that I had to wonder if we'd eyelocked at all.

   2014, Liz Fichera, Played