a ojos vistas

Spanish

Alternative forms

• a ojos vistos (nonstandard)

Etymology

Apparently, short for "a ojos [las cosas] vistas", hence the disagreement between "ojos" (masculine plural) and "vistas" (feminine plural)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a ˌoxos ˈbistas/ [a ˌo.xoz ˈβ̞is.t̪as]
• Syllabification: a o‧jos vis‧tas

Adverb

a ojos vistas

1. (idiomatic) visibly; for all the world to see.
   • 1902, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Misterio, chapter 39:

     La enfermedad se ha acentuado. Su Majestad decae a ojos vistas.

     The disease has accentuated. His Majesty is withering away before our eyes.

   • 1940, Reforma medica […] :

     Mas la época actual tiende, a ojos vistas, a despreciar la obra pacífica de la inteligencia

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1926, Leopoldo Lugones, “chapter XXIX”, in El Angel de la Sombra:

     —Para la señorita —acertó a decir, confuso, hasta malograr a ojos vistas el cumplimiento que traía preparado.

     "For you, ma'am", he managed to say, all confused, until he visibly ruined the compliment he had prepared.

Further reading

• “a ojos vistas”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014