cut one's eyeteeth on

noun, plural eye·teeth

[ahy-teeth] .

Dentistry. a canine tooth of the upper jaw: so named from its position under the eye.

Idioms

cut one's eyeteeth,

to gain sophistication or experience; become worldly-wise.

Also, cut one's eyeteeth on. to be initiated or gain one's first experience in (a career, hobby, skill, etc.).

give one's eyeteeth, to give something one considers very precious, usually in exchange for an object or situation one desires: She would give her eyeteeth for that job.

Origin:
1570–80; eye + tooth

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To cut one's eyeteeth on

Collins

World English Dictionary

eyetooth (ˌaɪˈtuːθ)

—n , pl -teeth
1.	either of the two canine teeth in the upper jaw
2.	give one's eyeteeth for to go to any lengths to achieve or obtain (something): I'd give my eyeteeth for a radio as good as that

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

00:10

Cut one's eyeteeth on is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

eyetooth

1580, so called for its position immediately under or next to the eye.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

eyetooth eye·tooth (ī't&oomacr;th')
n.
A canine tooth of the upper jaw.

Quote Of The Day

"Dictionaries are always fun, but not always reassuring."

-M.F.K. Fisher

Enjoy Dictionary.com ad-free! Learn more