[Vocabulary] she had a sturdy face and mischievous eyes

[hhtt21]

Would you please describe "mischievous eyes" in "Mary was waiting up for him in the kitchen. She was sitting at the little maple table, dressed in a pale blue woolen robe. She had a sturdy face and mischievous eyes"

Source: https://books.google.ru/books?id=LQ...d a sturdy face and mischievous eyes.&f=false by Peter William Blatty.

 

[emsr2d2]

What definitions have you found for "mischievous"?

 

[hhtt21]

What definitions have you found for "mischievous"?

Oxford Learner's Dictionary

1. ​enjoying playing tricks and annoying people SYNONYM naughty [I think this does not fit here]

2. ​(formal) (of an action or a statement) causing trouble, such as damaging somebody’s reputation [I think this does not fit here at all]

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mischievous?q=mischievous


Lexico

1. Causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way (I think this is a difficult definition for a learner).

https://www.lexico.com/definition/mischievous

 

[GoesStation]

Lexico

1. Causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way (I think this is a difficult definition for a learner).

That fits pretty well, except that eyes can't really do that. The author has used an adjective in a quite common way that goes beyond the dictionary definition. Can you see how?

 

[hhtt21]

That fits pretty well, except that eyes can't really do that. The author has used an adjective in a quite common way that goes beyond the dictionary definition. Can you see how?

No.

 

[GoesStation]

"Mischievous eyes" is illogical if you take it literally: people are mischievous, not body parts. The writer means "eyes that look like they belong to a mischievous person". This is a common way to express such an idea.