Andarse con mil ojos
To go around with a thousand eyes.
to keep one's eyes peeled; **to keep one's eyes peeled**; **to keep one's eyes open**; **to be extremely careful**; **to be on one's guard**; **to watch out**; **to keep one's wits about oneself**; **to have one's eyes everywhere**
Andarse con mil ojos means to be extremely careful, to be very alert, or to watch out for possible dangers or problems.
Ándate con mil ojos con ese hombre.
Keep your eyes peeled around that guy.
Tienes que andarte con mil ojos si vas a conducir de noche.
You need to be extremely careful if you're driving at night.
Andaros con mil ojos con lo que firmáis.
Be very careful about what you sign.
En Internet hay que andarse con mil ojos.
You have to keep your eyes peeled on the Internet.
Ándate con mil ojos, que ese negocio parece demasiado bueno para ser verdad.
Watch out; that deal seems too good to be true.
It is used to advise someone to pay close attention and not be careless, especially when there is some risk of being deceived, making a mistake or getting into trouble.
A common construction is:
Andarse con mil ojos.
→ To be extremely careful / to keep one's eyes peeled.
- warning someone about a dangerous situation
- advising someone to be careful with another person
- dealing with an uncertain or complicated situation
- trying to avoid mistakes
- suspecting that something may go wrong
- telling someone to stay alert
The expression is based on a simple hyperbolic image: having a thousand eyes would allow a person to observe everything around them simultaneously.
The exaggeration conveys the idea of maximum vigilance and attention.
It belongs to a broader family of Spanish expressions that use the eyes as a metaphor for vigilance.
The expression is normally used as a warning, rather than simply as a description of someone's personality.
For example:
Ándate con mil ojos con ese individuo.
does not simply mean:
"Be careful."
It suggests:
"Pay very close attention because there may be something you haven't noticed."
It can therefore imply suspicion, although suspicion is not necessarily present.
Spanish has several expressions that intensify tener cuidado by adding an exaggerated image:
Andarse con mil ojos → be extremely vigilant.
Andarse con pies de plomo → proceed with extreme caution.
Tener mil ojos → notice everything.
No quitar ojo → watch something or someone continuously.
They all involve heightened attention, but andarse con mil ojos is particularly natural when giving someone a warning.
The reflexive construction andarse con is important.
Andarse con mil ojos
literally has the structure "to go about with a thousand eyes", but its idiomatic meaning is:
to be extremely careful
The imperative is particularly common:
Ándate con mil ojos.
→ Be very careful / Keep your eyes peeled.
For several people:
Andaros con mil ojos.
→ Be very careful.
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