Meanings
- Of a person, not yet conceived, particularly when referring to a time period preceding their conception.
Bean Toomey was upholding the law when you were still just a twinkle in your daddy's eye.
1994, Suzanne Elizabeth, Kiley's Storm, page 1442 more examples
Kid, I've been running fight outfits since long before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye.
2016, Mackenzie Crowne, To Win Her Heart, page 51The Great Wilkie and Little Win were the biggest draw on the halls when you were not so much as a twinkle in your daddy's eye.
1977, Paul Bailey, Peter Smart's Confessions, page 96Synonyms: glint in the milkman's eye, twinkle in one's father's eye
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseOf a person, not yet conceived, particularly when referring to a time period preceding their conception.
Origin
From a song, "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips (and a Twinkle in Your Daddy's Eye)", written for the 1934 film, Dames; derived from the presumption that prior to the conception of a baby, the father was sexually aroused, and this arousal was reflected in a pleased look in the father's eyes.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
twinkle in one's daddy's eye. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twinkle%20in%20one's%20daddy's%20eye
“twinkle in one's daddy's eye.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twinkle%20in%20one's%20daddy's%20eye. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “twinkle in one's daddy's eye,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twinkle%20in%20one's%20daddy's%20eye.
Source: twinkle in one's daddy's eye on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.