[General] Heavy lids drooped over her eyes.

Status
Not open for further replies.

kompstar

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
What does 'Heavy lids drooped over her eyes.' mean? Does it mean 'She closed her eyes.'?
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Where did you find this sentence?
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
She was so drowsy that she couldn't keep her eyes open.
 

kompstar

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
or her lids were tired...?
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland

kompstar

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
Are the sentences below correct and natural?

1) Tired
lids drooped over her eyes.

2) Drowsy lids drooped over her eyes.
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
I don't find them natural.
 

Tarheel

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
She was so drowsy that she couldn't keep her eyes open. Thus her lids drooped over her eyes.
 

Skrej

VIP Member
Joined
May 11, 2015
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
'Heavy lids' is a set phrase.

It's not that the lids themselves are tired or drowsy, it's that when you're very tired, even your eyelids can feel heavy. Normally we don't notice the weight of them, only when it's such an effort to keep them open.

That's why your examples in #7 don't sound natural.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I'm not even sure the person is necessarily tired or drowsy. She might have naturally very heavy, droopy eyelids so she will look like this all the time.

HERE is a photo of a man with "heavy lids".
 

kompstar

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
I'm not sure If I understand well. After I read your posts above I think that all the sentences below are incorrect?

1) My lids are tired.

2) My eyes are tired.

3) My lids are drowsy.
.
4) My eyes are drowsy.

5) I have tired eyes.
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
My eyes can be tired without my being sleepy.

If I am very sleepy, my eyelids feel heavy.

Yes, as ems says, it's possibly to have physically heavy/droopy eyelids.
But if you are tired/sleepy/drowsy, you could say your eyelids feel heavy. You don't say your eyelids are tired/sleepy/drowsy or that your eyes are tired or sleepy or drowsy.
 

Tarheel

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
I'm not sure If I understand well. After I read your posts above I think that all the sentences below are incorrect?

1) My lids are tired.

2) My eyes are tired.

3) My lids are drowsy.
.
4) My eyes are drowsy.

5) I have tired eyes.

I can see how you can be so sleepy that you can't keep your eyes open. In any case, I wouldn't use any of them.
 

kompstar

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
I understand now.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top