What does the phrase “cross your eyes” mean in this context? [closed]












7















Here is the sentence:



"Just cross your eyes a little and it would be impossible for you to tell the difference between this and televised football."



The sentence is from a game app's description. I know the lexical meaning of the phrase "cross your eyes".




Verb 1. cross one's eyes - partly close one's eyes;
"The children squinted to frighten each other"
Synonyms: squint, squinch
Webster




However, I am not sure how it would fit here.



Let me make the context clearer. The sentence is about a game update that makes the mobile play so realistic that one cannot differentiate between the game and the real football.










share|improve this question















closed as off-topic by lbf, Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101 Dec 3 '18 at 3:42


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 1





    The definition you posted of "cross your eyes" is wrong. That's probably the source of your confusion.

    – Brennan Vincent
    Dec 1 '18 at 0:45











  • I edited out the totally incorrect definition, to avoid further massive confusion.

    – Fattie
    Dec 1 '18 at 7:36











  • @Fattie: I think the edit changes the OP's intent. I am pretty sure the OP was wondering how squinting would help a video game appear to be a live game. My edit merely quoted the OP's link. My answer attempts to address the misunderstanding.

    – jxh
    Dec 1 '18 at 8:22


















7















Here is the sentence:



"Just cross your eyes a little and it would be impossible for you to tell the difference between this and televised football."



The sentence is from a game app's description. I know the lexical meaning of the phrase "cross your eyes".




Verb 1. cross one's eyes - partly close one's eyes;
"The children squinted to frighten each other"
Synonyms: squint, squinch
Webster




However, I am not sure how it would fit here.



Let me make the context clearer. The sentence is about a game update that makes the mobile play so realistic that one cannot differentiate between the game and the real football.










share|improve this question















closed as off-topic by lbf, Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101 Dec 3 '18 at 3:42


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 1





    The definition you posted of "cross your eyes" is wrong. That's probably the source of your confusion.

    – Brennan Vincent
    Dec 1 '18 at 0:45











  • I edited out the totally incorrect definition, to avoid further massive confusion.

    – Fattie
    Dec 1 '18 at 7:36











  • @Fattie: I think the edit changes the OP's intent. I am pretty sure the OP was wondering how squinting would help a video game appear to be a live game. My edit merely quoted the OP's link. My answer attempts to address the misunderstanding.

    – jxh
    Dec 1 '18 at 8:22
















7












7








7


1






Here is the sentence:



"Just cross your eyes a little and it would be impossible for you to tell the difference between this and televised football."



The sentence is from a game app's description. I know the lexical meaning of the phrase "cross your eyes".




Verb 1. cross one's eyes - partly close one's eyes;
"The children squinted to frighten each other"
Synonyms: squint, squinch
Webster




However, I am not sure how it would fit here.



Let me make the context clearer. The sentence is about a game update that makes the mobile play so realistic that one cannot differentiate between the game and the real football.










share|improve this question
















Here is the sentence:



"Just cross your eyes a little and it would be impossible for you to tell the difference between this and televised football."



The sentence is from a game app's description. I know the lexical meaning of the phrase "cross your eyes".




Verb 1. cross one's eyes - partly close one's eyes;
"The children squinted to frighten each other"
Synonyms: squint, squinch
Webster




However, I am not sure how it would fit here.



Let me make the context clearer. The sentence is about a game update that makes the mobile play so realistic that one cannot differentiate between the game and the real football.







meaning-in-context






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Dec 11 '18 at 0:47









jxh

9,1081547




9,1081547










asked Nov 30 '18 at 12:25









seeekerseeeker

3413516




3413516




closed as off-topic by lbf, Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101 Dec 3 '18 at 3:42


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




closed as off-topic by lbf, Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101 Dec 3 '18 at 3:42


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Fattie, Scott, Tonepoet, jimm101

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 1





    The definition you posted of "cross your eyes" is wrong. That's probably the source of your confusion.

    – Brennan Vincent
    Dec 1 '18 at 0:45











  • I edited out the totally incorrect definition, to avoid further massive confusion.

    – Fattie
    Dec 1 '18 at 7:36











  • @Fattie: I think the edit changes the OP's intent. I am pretty sure the OP was wondering how squinting would help a video game appear to be a live game. My edit merely quoted the OP's link. My answer attempts to address the misunderstanding.

    – jxh
    Dec 1 '18 at 8:22
















  • 1





    The definition you posted of "cross your eyes" is wrong. That's probably the source of your confusion.

    – Brennan Vincent
    Dec 1 '18 at 0:45











  • I edited out the totally incorrect definition, to avoid further massive confusion.

    – Fattie
    Dec 1 '18 at 7:36











  • @Fattie: I think the edit changes the OP's intent. I am pretty sure the OP was wondering how squinting would help a video game appear to be a live game. My edit merely quoted the OP's link. My answer attempts to address the misunderstanding.

    – jxh
    Dec 1 '18 at 8:22










1




1





The definition you posted of "cross your eyes" is wrong. That's probably the source of your confusion.

– Brennan Vincent
Dec 1 '18 at 0:45





The definition you posted of "cross your eyes" is wrong. That's probably the source of your confusion.

– Brennan Vincent
Dec 1 '18 at 0:45













I edited out the totally incorrect definition, to avoid further massive confusion.

– Fattie
Dec 1 '18 at 7:36





I edited out the totally incorrect definition, to avoid further massive confusion.

– Fattie
Dec 1 '18 at 7:36













@Fattie: I think the edit changes the OP's intent. I am pretty sure the OP was wondering how squinting would help a video game appear to be a live game. My edit merely quoted the OP's link. My answer attempts to address the misunderstanding.

– jxh
Dec 1 '18 at 8:22







@Fattie: I think the edit changes the OP's intent. I am pretty sure the OP was wondering how squinting would help a video game appear to be a live game. My edit merely quoted the OP's link. My answer attempts to address the misunderstanding.

– jxh
Dec 1 '18 at 8:22












4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















17














Crossing your eyes makes it harder to see clearly. This usage means unless you are paying close attention to the differences between the two things, you won't notice them.



I haven't heard this expression used before, but in my personal experience, I have heard people say "if you squint hard enough..."






share|improve this answer



















  • 3





    For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

    – Jason Bassford
    Nov 30 '18 at 17:12








  • 4





    @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

    – Ketura
    Nov 30 '18 at 20:35






  • 1





    @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

    – Jason Bassford
    Nov 30 '18 at 21:08





















2














I have not personally encountered the usage of cross your eyes to mean squinting as indicated in your linked reference. I had always heard it used to mean making your eyes appear to be crossed. The condition esotropia is commonly referred to as being cross-eyed:




Esotropia is a form of strabismus in which one or both eyes turns inward. The condition can be constantly present, or occur intermittently, and can give the affected individual a "cross-eyed" appearance.
Wikipedia




You can usually accomplish crossing your eyes by trying to focus your eyes on the tip of your nose.



enter image description here



In addition to a funny looking face, you could get double vision, or lose focus, or something else, and thus have trouble seeing things clearly.






share|improve this answer































    1














    I remember seeing the expression "screwed her eyes tight" with the meaning that you're after here.



    I would personally rewrite the sentence to something like



    "You'll actually mistake this for televised football if you don't pay enough attention".






    share|improve this answer































      1














      It's that, when you cross your eyes, you lose depth perception. The comment is the equivalent of saying "It's almost like watching in HD;" or, in other words, it's not quite as good visually, but could be if you lower your standards.



      As far as I'm aware, it's not a colloquial phrase anywhere in the US or GB, so whoever said this to you probably missed the intended purpose.






      share|improve this answer






























        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes








        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        17














        Crossing your eyes makes it harder to see clearly. This usage means unless you are paying close attention to the differences between the two things, you won't notice them.



        I haven't heard this expression used before, but in my personal experience, I have heard people say "if you squint hard enough..."






        share|improve this answer



















        • 3





          For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 17:12








        • 4





          @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

          – Ketura
          Nov 30 '18 at 20:35






        • 1





          @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 21:08


















        17














        Crossing your eyes makes it harder to see clearly. This usage means unless you are paying close attention to the differences between the two things, you won't notice them.



        I haven't heard this expression used before, but in my personal experience, I have heard people say "if you squint hard enough..."






        share|improve this answer



















        • 3





          For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 17:12








        • 4





          @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

          – Ketura
          Nov 30 '18 at 20:35






        • 1





          @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 21:08
















        17












        17








        17







        Crossing your eyes makes it harder to see clearly. This usage means unless you are paying close attention to the differences between the two things, you won't notice them.



        I haven't heard this expression used before, but in my personal experience, I have heard people say "if you squint hard enough..."






        share|improve this answer













        Crossing your eyes makes it harder to see clearly. This usage means unless you are paying close attention to the differences between the two things, you won't notice them.



        I haven't heard this expression used before, but in my personal experience, I have heard people say "if you squint hard enough..."







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Nov 30 '18 at 12:48









        StewartStewart

        3187




        3187








        • 3





          For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 17:12








        • 4





          @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

          – Ketura
          Nov 30 '18 at 20:35






        • 1





          @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 21:08
















        • 3





          For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 17:12








        • 4





          @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

          – Ketura
          Nov 30 '18 at 20:35






        • 1





          @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

          – Jason Bassford
          Nov 30 '18 at 21:08










        3




        3





        For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

        – Jason Bassford
        Nov 30 '18 at 17:12







        For what it's worth, squinting has the opposite effect. You would say, "If you squint hard enough you can tell the difference between this and televised football."

        – Jason Bassford
        Nov 30 '18 at 17:12






        4




        4





        @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

        – Ketura
        Nov 30 '18 at 20:35





        @JasonBassford usually it's used as "X looks like Y if you squint", which is indeed comparable to the eye-crossing analogy.

        – Ketura
        Nov 30 '18 at 20:35




        1




        1





        @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

        – Jason Bassford
        Nov 30 '18 at 21:08







        @Ketura To be clear, crossing your eyes and squinting are not the same thing—although the two are used in a syntactically similar fashion in the example of this question and answer. Crossing your eyes blurs your vision, meaning you can't see the difference; meanwhile, squinting sharpens your vision, meaning you can see the difference. You would not normally say X looks like Y if you squint. Rather X looks like Y when you don't squint because you can't distinguish between the two. Instead, you would simply say You can make out X if you squint.

        – Jason Bassford
        Nov 30 '18 at 21:08















        2














        I have not personally encountered the usage of cross your eyes to mean squinting as indicated in your linked reference. I had always heard it used to mean making your eyes appear to be crossed. The condition esotropia is commonly referred to as being cross-eyed:




        Esotropia is a form of strabismus in which one or both eyes turns inward. The condition can be constantly present, or occur intermittently, and can give the affected individual a "cross-eyed" appearance.
        Wikipedia




        You can usually accomplish crossing your eyes by trying to focus your eyes on the tip of your nose.



        enter image description here



        In addition to a funny looking face, you could get double vision, or lose focus, or something else, and thus have trouble seeing things clearly.






        share|improve this answer




























          2














          I have not personally encountered the usage of cross your eyes to mean squinting as indicated in your linked reference. I had always heard it used to mean making your eyes appear to be crossed. The condition esotropia is commonly referred to as being cross-eyed:




          Esotropia is a form of strabismus in which one or both eyes turns inward. The condition can be constantly present, or occur intermittently, and can give the affected individual a "cross-eyed" appearance.
          Wikipedia




          You can usually accomplish crossing your eyes by trying to focus your eyes on the tip of your nose.



          enter image description here



          In addition to a funny looking face, you could get double vision, or lose focus, or something else, and thus have trouble seeing things clearly.






          share|improve this answer


























            2












            2








            2







            I have not personally encountered the usage of cross your eyes to mean squinting as indicated in your linked reference. I had always heard it used to mean making your eyes appear to be crossed. The condition esotropia is commonly referred to as being cross-eyed:




            Esotropia is a form of strabismus in which one or both eyes turns inward. The condition can be constantly present, or occur intermittently, and can give the affected individual a "cross-eyed" appearance.
            Wikipedia




            You can usually accomplish crossing your eyes by trying to focus your eyes on the tip of your nose.



            enter image description here



            In addition to a funny looking face, you could get double vision, or lose focus, or something else, and thus have trouble seeing things clearly.






            share|improve this answer













            I have not personally encountered the usage of cross your eyes to mean squinting as indicated in your linked reference. I had always heard it used to mean making your eyes appear to be crossed. The condition esotropia is commonly referred to as being cross-eyed:




            Esotropia is a form of strabismus in which one or both eyes turns inward. The condition can be constantly present, or occur intermittently, and can give the affected individual a "cross-eyed" appearance.
            Wikipedia




            You can usually accomplish crossing your eyes by trying to focus your eyes on the tip of your nose.



            enter image description here



            In addition to a funny looking face, you could get double vision, or lose focus, or something else, and thus have trouble seeing things clearly.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Nov 30 '18 at 19:00









            jxhjxh

            9,1081547




            9,1081547























                1














                I remember seeing the expression "screwed her eyes tight" with the meaning that you're after here.



                I would personally rewrite the sentence to something like



                "You'll actually mistake this for televised football if you don't pay enough attention".






                share|improve this answer




























                  1














                  I remember seeing the expression "screwed her eyes tight" with the meaning that you're after here.



                  I would personally rewrite the sentence to something like



                  "You'll actually mistake this for televised football if you don't pay enough attention".






                  share|improve this answer


























                    1












                    1








                    1







                    I remember seeing the expression "screwed her eyes tight" with the meaning that you're after here.



                    I would personally rewrite the sentence to something like



                    "You'll actually mistake this for televised football if you don't pay enough attention".






                    share|improve this answer













                    I remember seeing the expression "screwed her eyes tight" with the meaning that you're after here.



                    I would personally rewrite the sentence to something like



                    "You'll actually mistake this for televised football if you don't pay enough attention".







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered Nov 30 '18 at 18:30









                    Mikael BrennerMikael Brenner

                    111




                    111























                        1














                        It's that, when you cross your eyes, you lose depth perception. The comment is the equivalent of saying "It's almost like watching in HD;" or, in other words, it's not quite as good visually, but could be if you lower your standards.



                        As far as I'm aware, it's not a colloquial phrase anywhere in the US or GB, so whoever said this to you probably missed the intended purpose.






                        share|improve this answer




























                          1














                          It's that, when you cross your eyes, you lose depth perception. The comment is the equivalent of saying "It's almost like watching in HD;" or, in other words, it's not quite as good visually, but could be if you lower your standards.



                          As far as I'm aware, it's not a colloquial phrase anywhere in the US or GB, so whoever said this to you probably missed the intended purpose.






                          share|improve this answer


























                            1












                            1








                            1







                            It's that, when you cross your eyes, you lose depth perception. The comment is the equivalent of saying "It's almost like watching in HD;" or, in other words, it's not quite as good visually, but could be if you lower your standards.



                            As far as I'm aware, it's not a colloquial phrase anywhere in the US or GB, so whoever said this to you probably missed the intended purpose.






                            share|improve this answer













                            It's that, when you cross your eyes, you lose depth perception. The comment is the equivalent of saying "It's almost like watching in HD;" or, in other words, it's not quite as good visually, but could be if you lower your standards.



                            As far as I'm aware, it's not a colloquial phrase anywhere in the US or GB, so whoever said this to you probably missed the intended purpose.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered Dec 1 '18 at 5:46









                            wahwahwahwahwahwah

                            12115




                            12115















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