tenere d'occhio

Literally, “to hold of eye”.

tenére d'occhio (first-person singular present tèngo d'occhio, first-person singular past historic ténni d'occhio or tènni d'occhio, past participle tenùto d'occhio, first-person singular future terrò d'occhio, auxiliary avére)

1. (idiomatic, transitive) to keep an eye on
   • 2019, George Orwell, translated by Nicola Gardini, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mondadori:

     Tra un pasto e l'altro, se la mamma non lo teneva d'occhio, lui non smetteva di depredare le povere riserve della mensola.

     Between meals, if his mother did not stand guard, he was constantly pilfering at the wretched store of food on the shelf.

     (literally, “Between one meal and the other, if his mother did not keep an eye on him, he would not stop plundering the poor reserves of the shelf.”)

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