Meanings
plural glints in the milkman's eye
- UKhumorousSomeone or something that has not been born or conceived yet.
"And which Pitt would this be? Pitt the Toddler? Pitt the Embryo? Pitt the Glint in the Milkman's Eye?"
1987, “Dish and Dishonesty”, in Blackadder the Third1 more example
It’s no wonder then that, musically, from Summer Camp to Best Coast, we’ve stepped into a sepia time machine recently, transported back to a golden age where romance abounded and Justin Bieber was a mere glint in the milkman’s eye.
2010, Lisa Wright, “Album review: Twin Shadow - Forget (4AD)”, in NMESynonyms: twinkle in one's daddy's eye, twinkle in one's father's eye
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone or something that has not been born or conceived yet.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
glint in the milkman's eye. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glint%20in%20the%20milkman's%20eye
“glint in the milkman's eye.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glint%20in%20the%20milkman's%20eye. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “glint in the milkman's eye,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glint%20in%20the%20milkman's%20eye.
Source: glint in the milkman's eye on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.