surreptitious glance
Covert quick look
A surreptitious glance is a quick, secretive look—one meant to go unnoticed.
You steal a surreptitious glance at someone attractive across the room, or at your phone during a meeting.
The phrase captures both the brevity of the look and the desire to conceal it: She caught him stealing a surreptitious glance at her notes.
- peekFurtive brief look
- quick lookBrief visual inspection
- sidelongDirected to one side
- side eyeDisapproving sideways glance
- furtiveSecretive and sly
stolen · covert · stealthy · under the radar · glimpse · watchful · secretive · on the sly · sideways · darting · fleeting · quick · hidden · spy · observe · sneak · clandestine · wary
surreptitious, glance, surreptitiously, glances, glanced, glancing