Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. having prominent, staring eyes [SE after 17C].

1515		Cocke Lorelles Bote Biii: And pers peuterer that knocketh a basyn, With gogle eyed tomson shepster of lyn.
1545		R. Ascham Toxophilus (1761) II 157: He that is gogle eyde, and lokes a squintre, hath both his countenaunce clene marred.
1571		T. Hill The contemplation of mankinde n.p.: In these verses aboue noted, doth the Physiognomer declare [...] that the squynt or gogle eyed persons, to be gréedie catchers, couetous, dissemblers, and malicious.
1599		Jonson Every Man Out of his Humour V iv: The whoreson strummel-patch’d, goggled-eyed grumbledories.
1600		W. Vaughan The golden-groue n.p.: [T]hat goggle-eyed Venus [...] which metamorphozeth a man into a beast, and which transformeth simple wretches into tosse-potted asses.
1615		E. Hoby A curry-combe for a coxe-combe 23: [T]hose fellowes made, who with their goggle eyes prye into euery mans priuate affaires?
1621		R. Burton The anatomy of melancholy 608: Euery louer admires his mistris, though she be very deformed of her selfe, ill fauoured, crooked, bald, goggle-eyed, or squint-eyed.
1643		A perfect relation of the cause and manner of the apprehending [...] William Needle and Mistris Phillips 4: God hath pronounced to all such disobedient children; that the Ravens of the Valleyes shall picke out their eyes [...] a fit punishment for that goggle-eyed, bastard-bred fellow.
1655		H. Crouch A new and pleasant history of unfortunate Hodg 1: Hodge [...] had bad fortune, little wit, crump shoulderd, crook backt, goggle eyed, splayefooted, crooked legs, and so deformed, that he was hated of man woman, and child.
1661		T. Reeve England’s beauty 15: [T]hey seem like goggle-eyed, or squint-eyed persons looking with a distortion upon our prosperous condition.
1672		J. Phillips Maronides (1678) V 89: Hippocoon his goggle eyes / Casting a thousand times to the skies.
1675		T. Lupton Thousand Notable Things 269: Take a Description of an illfavoured Woman, yet exceedingly doted upon by a fond foolish Lover: Her skin and Face pimpled; pale; Yellow; Tanned; Tallow-fac’d; a swoln Juglars; [...] Goggle-eyed; Blear-eyed; Squint-eyed.
1680		M. Stevenson Wits Paraphras’d 85: I have observ’d [...] / How you’d turn up your goggle Eys.
1685		‘A Scholar’ Maggots n.p.: [T]hy goggling, Egg-like Eyes.
1694		A. Le Grand An entire body of philosophy n.p.: [T]he Gibbous or Bunch-backt, Goggle-Ey’d, Lame, who [...] are not ignorant of their being an Object of contempt and derision from others.
1700		E. Ward A frolick to Horn-fair 8: A Jew! [...] A Black Goggle-Eyed Over-reaching Vagabond! Foh, I smell him hither, he stinks in my very Nostrills.
1781		Hicky’s Bengal Gaz. 23-30 June n.p.: Master Leaveland Goggle Eye of Bogale hall.
1796		Hants. Chron. 16 June 3/3: No ladies of the name of Carrotty Bess, Bumping Moll, Goggle-eyed Nan, or Draggle-tail Jenny were of the party.
1812		J. Bell Jr. (ed.) Rhymes of Northern Bards 46: Jack [...] wad danced wi’ goggle-ey’d Mally-o.
1828		‘A Flat Enlightened’ Life in the West II 13: [H]e could get no backers, on account of the cross he fought with ‘goggle-eyed Sawney’.
1834		Examiner 8 June 2/1: Crooked, dry, bald, goggle-eyed [...] with staring eyes, sparrow-mouthed.
1850		Glasgow Gaz. 2 Nov. 1/2: The eyes of this interesting fiddler were goggled.
1857		Paul Pry (London 15 Aug. n.p.: The goggle-eyed ugly skinny jeweller, not to sit in a certain; house near Greek-street, making remarks.
1858		Yorkville Enquirer (SC) 22 Apr. 4/2: We do not wish to pollute our columns with such trash [...] snaggle-tooth — box-ankled — goggle-eyed — nigger-lipped — soft-headed — long-eared [etc].
1889		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 28 Dec.3/2: Prior to her marriage to the goggle-eyed Loy, Blanche’s subsequent name was Wilson.
1924		Dover Exp. 17 Oct. 3/3: The members of the Government were googly-eyed Bolshies.

2. (US) wearing spectacles; thus goggle-eyes n., a nickname for a spectacle wearer (see cit. 1953).

1700		N. Ward Rambling Rakes 7: We took Notice of a Goggle-Eyd Jew [...] whose Habitation is not far from the Synagogue.
1834		Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) 15 Mar. 2/1: I wonder whether she has those spectacles yet that she stole from me [...] I would adviser her not to be squinting through her gogley eyes.
1835		‘A Blow-Out Among The Blowen’ Secret Songster 14: I’ll sing you an out-and-out chaunt, if you like, / About blear-eyed Molly, and goggle-eyed Mike.
1860		T. Haliburton Season Ticket 194: His eldest daughter who is goggle-eyed, is known as ‘Stare Case’.
1880		H.L. Williams Darkey Sleep-Walker 3: Doddering booktionaries and goggle-eyed geologists.
1881		Manchester Courier 25 June 5: A Texas Mother-In-Law [addressing a policeman] To think of this peaky, little, worthless, spindle-shanked, goggled-eyed whelp getting clear off.
[1915		Hull Dly Mail 22 July 2/5: We are called the ‘goggle-eyed Army’ owing to our wearing goggles to protect our eyes from the fierce rays of the sun] .
1920		H. Wiley Wildcat 55: He was a goggle-eyed mulatto product.
1929		(con. WWI) R. Graves Goodbye to All That (1960) 164: A new gas-helmet, popularly known as ‘the goggle-eyed booger with the tit.’.
1939		Wodehouse Uncle Fred in the Springtime 67: ‘[A] goggle-eyed nitwit’.
1953		(con. 1912–13) A.C. Inman diary in Aaron (1985) 94: You were ‘four eyes’ and ‘goggle eyes’ and what not.
1958		Willans & Searle Complete Molesworth (1985) 62: We shall all be a google eyed ant society.
1999		Guardian G2 8 July 9: It is a little disappointing to be taken for a goggle-eyed harridan with big teeth.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 12: He had the actual cheek, roysh, to ring me up [...] – the goggle-eyed freak.
2013		F. Bill Donnybrook [ebook] ‘Yeah! Get you a handful, goggle-eyes!’.

3. (US, also goggle-eyed drunk, goggly, google-eyed, googly-eyed) drunk.

1875		Cambria Freeman (Edensburg, PA) 22 Oct. 1/7: The word Drunk is incomparably richer in synonyms than any other word [...] to this we may add: steaming it, goggle-eyed, have a brick in his hat, balmy, o be joyful.
1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 330: He was google-eyed and spiflicated.
1916		Sun (NY) 9 Apr. 10/7: [List provided by a doctor in the alcoholic ward at Bellevue — terms from ambulance drivers] [...] ginny, google-eyed, lushy, off one’s trolley, slushed.
1921		Dos Passos Three Soldiers 77: An’ the captains says, ‘Fine,’ and the sergeant would have said, ‘Fine,’ but he was so goggle-eyed drunk he couldn’t.
1921		Ethel Waters ‘At the Jump Steady Ball’ 🎵 Everybody in the hall was google-eyed; / They started serving me gin and wine, / And everything in wood alcohol line, / Chicago pop and all.
1929		J.B. Priestley Good Companions 422: In he comes wi’ that chap, Finnegan – both on ’em a bit goggly.
1939		Howsley Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl. 21: googly eyed [...] hilariously drunk.

4. (also google-eyed) dazed.

1900		Marvel 15 May 13: Don’t sit there like a goggle-eyed phantom of a polecat.
1902		Ade Girl Proposition 6: It made him google-eyed and he walked off the Curb.
1919		W.H. Downing Digger Dialects 26: goggle-eyed — dazed.
1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 104: Even if you pump up a genuine interest, you will be google-eyed after you have studied some 200 Masterpieces.
1920		R. Lardner Big Town 144: The rest of the guests stared at us goggle-eyed.
1928		J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 286: I read it until I was google-eyed.
1934		H. Roth Call It Sleep (1977) 415: De goggle-eyed yid an’ his red cock?
1943		E. Pyle Here Is Your War (1945) 273: We had looked all day goggle-eyed at more Germans than we have ever expected to see.
1960		G. Marx letter 19 July Groucho Letters (1967) 239: I’m goggle-eyed from watching the convention.
1971		B. Short Black and White Baby 65: [I] sat in the front row, jubilant and goggle-eyed as the spectacle unfolded.
2015		L. McInerney Glorious Heresies 276: [H]e goes a bit googly-eyed because he thought I was talking out my hole.

5. (US) squinting, cross-eyed.

1929		W. Winchell Your Broadway & Mine 2 Mar. [synd. col.] Several beautiful actresses who frequently reveal ‘eye defects’ (ritz for googly-eyed) on the screen.
2018		(con. 1963) L. Berney November Road 240: ‘That goggle-eyed bean-eater’.