clin d'œil (French)

Where does "clin d'œil" come from?

French clin d'œil literally means “blink of an eye” or “wink,” from clin, an old French noun meaning a slight inclination or movement, plus œil, “eye,” from Latin oculus. The phrase first referred to the physical act of winking or the brief instant of a blink, and later widened in French to mean a subtle hint or playful allusion, especially in art and style. In English, it was borrowed as a distinctly French expression and kept that figurative sense of a knowing nod to the audience.

Full etymology tree

• clin d'œil (French), 'a wink'
  • compound of clin (French), 'Found only in the expression clin d’œil (“wink, instant”).'
  • compound of œil (French), 'eye (of a needle)'

Updated March 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris