Stare a hole through someone
Meaning
To look at someone intensely and for a long time, usually in a way that is angry, judgmental, or disapproving.
Origin
This vivid idiom conjures a powerful image, doesn't it? Imagine a gaze so intense, so piercing, that it could physically bore through whatever stands in its way. While the precise historical moment of its coinage is lost to time, the sentiment is ancient. It speaks to the primal power of the eyes, the windows to our souls and the conduits of our emotions. In a world before constant electronic communication, a prolonged, aggressive stare was a potent form of non-verbal confrontation, a silent challenge that could precede physical action. The 'hole' isn't literal, of course, but the metaphor perfectly captures the feeling of being scrutinized, judged, and utterly exposed by another's unwavering, hostile attention.