scheel
askance
Describes a resentful, envious, or suspicious look.
EXAMPLE
Sie sah ihn scheel an, als er von seinem Erfolg erzählte.
She looked at him askance when he told her about his success.
scheel
askance / cross-eyed
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Meanings
scheel
cross-eyed
An outdated or elevated term for cross-eyed; when the eyes do not look in the same direction.
EXAMPLE
Das Porträt zeigte einen Mann mit leicht scheelem Blick.
The portrait showed a man with a slightly cross-eyed look.
Usage tips
Typical collocations
This adjective is used almost exclusively in connection with verbs of seeing. The most common construction is 'jemanden scheel ansehen' (to look at someone askance).
EXAMPLE
Er wurde von seinen Kollegen scheel angesehen, weil er eine Beförderung erhielt.
He was looked at askance by his colleagues because he received a promotion.
Register and style
In the meaning 'missgünstig' (resentful/envious), 'scheel' belongs to an elevated or literary style. It is used rather rarely in normal everyday language.
EXAMPLE
Mit einem scheelen Blick beobachtete sie die neue Nachbarin.
With an askance look, she watched the new neighbor.
Register note
The meaning 'schielend' (cross-eyed) is outdated today. You mainly find it in older texts. In modern language, this characteristic is expressed differently.
EXAMPLE
In dem alten Roman wurde die Figur als scheel beschrieben.
In the old novel, the character was described as cross-eyed.
Compare with
scheel vs schief
crooked / off-key
Schief ansehen and scheel blicken can both express a disapproving look. Scheel emphasizes suspicion, envy, or resentment, whereas schief ansehen can more generally show displeasure or unease. Use scheel for an envious or resentful look and schief for general disapproval.
scheel
Die Nachbarin sah mich scheel an, weil ich den neuen Wagen gekauft hatte.
The neighbor gave me an envious look because I had bought the new car.
schief
Die Nachbarin sah mich schief an, weil ich mich über den Lärm beschwert hatte.
The neighbor looked at me askance because I had complained about the noise.
In real life
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