Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to gaze at in a suspicious manner, to look askance.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Cutty-Eye to Leer or look askance. The Cull Cutty-eyed at us. Cant.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.: To Cutty-eye. To look out of the corners of one’s eyes, to leer, to look askance. The cull cutty-eyed at us; the fellow looked suspicious at us.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 23: cutty-eyed. To look out of the corner of the eyes; to look suspicious; to leer; to look askance. ‘The copper cutty-eyed us,’ The officer looked suspicious at us.