Literally
this means "Your eyes are swimming," which is a way to say
"You're lying." This feels
very similar to the English expression, "Look me in the eye and say
that"--both statements seem predicated on the idea (accurate or not) that it's hard to look
into someone's eyes and lie. Me ga
oyogu suggests that the person being
spoken to can't keep his/her eyes still because s/he is lying. I've only heard this expression said a few
times, always in the form of teasing:
「うそでしょう！目が泳いでいるよ！」 ("Uso deshou! Me ga
oyoideiru yo!")
This video. . .isn't anything like the context around which I learned the phrase and has nothing to do with anyone lying. But it's the most interesting video that I came across in looking for visual examples of 目が泳ぐ. I wish I could've seen my own reaction as I watched it for the first time; I was leaning back in my chair thinking "Oh my goodness," at the same time unable to divert my eyes from watching it.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
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