Meaning & Analysis
Literally, the proverb describes someone who is squint-eyed (has strabismus), whose eyes are not aligned and thus appear to be looking in multiple directions simultaneously. The number 'nine' is a form of hyperbolic intensification.
Insights
Distraction and Lack of Focus
The phrase symbolizes a state of being scattered, unfocused, and unable to concentrate on a single task or thought. It suggests a mind pulled in too many directions, leading to ineffectiveness.
Shrewdness and Deception
Looking in multiple directions at once can imply a cunning, shifty, or deceitful nature. It suggests a person who is hyper-vigilant, constantly watching for threats and opportunities from all angles, and therefore not entirely trustworthy.
Overwhelming Confusion
To be made to 'look nine ways' is to be thrown into a state of utter confusion, disorientation, or bewilderment, often as a result of a shock, a beating, or being overwhelmed by circumstances.
Total Awareness
In a more ironic or positive sense, it can describe a state of being exceptionally circumspect or having a comprehensive awareness of one's surroundings, taking in a vast amount of information simultaneously.
Symbolism of 'Nine'
The number nine often carries symbolic weight in folklore, representing a large, almost magical quantity. Using 'nine' elevates the description from a simple physical observation to a hyperbolic state, implying a supernatural or extraordinary level of distraction or awareness.
Psychology of Appearance
The proverb reflects a historical tendency to link physical anomalies, like strabismus (a squint), with specific character traits. It pathologizes a physical condition, associating it with negative qualities like deceit or positive ones like hyper-vigilance, revealing cultural biases about appearance and character.
Rhetorical Aggression
The phrase is often used as a threat or insult, as in D'Urfey's 1696 quote, 'I'll make her look nine ways at once'. This implies an intent to inflict confusion, disorientation, or even physical harm, turning the descriptive phrase into an active expression of aggression.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The use of 'nine' is a deliberate exaggeration to emphasize the extreme nature of the distraction, confusion, or awareness. This hyperbole makes the expression vivid and memorable.
Imagery
The proverb creates a strong and often unsettling visual of a person with wildly misaligned eyes, effectively conveying the internal states of confusion or duplicity.
Symbolism
The act of 'looking' serves as a symbol for attention, intention, and mental focus. Looking in multiple directions symbolizes the fragmentation or multiplication of these cognitive states.
Transcription
Quotations
Squyntyied he was, and looked nyne wayes.
A squint-ey'd man (says one) is the most circumspect of all men, because he can look nine wayes at once.
Passion flyes Squinting, and, as wee say, Nine wayes at Thrice.
Which commonly is squint-ey'd, and looks nine Ways at once.
He looks ten ways at once.
I'll make her look nine ways at once before I have done with her.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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