Meaning
Covetous and envious — casting a jealous 'red eye' on what other people have and wanting it for yourself. A 'red-eye' person cannot be happy for another's success and greedily eyes their possessions, food, or good fortune. Close to 'bad-mind' and 'grudgeful', it is one of the most-used Jamaican words for envy and covetousness.
Examples
-
Nuh be so red-eye ova wha people have.
Don't be so covetous over what other people have.
-
Him red-eye bad, him want everyting him see.
He's very covetous; he wants everything he sees.
-
Red-eye people cyaan see yuh prosper.
Envious people can't stand to see you prosper.
Origin
From 'red' + 'eye' (yeye) — the jealous, coveting eye. See [[bad-mind]], [[grudgeful]].
How it’s used
Covetous/envious of what others have. See [[bad-mind]], [[grudgeful]], [[craven-eye]].