Something caught my eye [duplicate]

Question

A student asked me tonight why we say "something caught my eye," and not "something caught my eyes." This is not just limited to eyes but also:

"lend me your ear." "Can I give you a hand?" or "an eye for detail."

Is this because we are not thinking of the actual body part but it's function?

This question was asked before but the answer and comments do not address the question very well. Why does “something catch my eye” but not “both my eyes”?

Could you give a link to the previous question so that we can see what answers have already been given? — chasly - supports Monica, Oct 22, 2015 at 16:28
I've added an answer to the previous question in case this one gets closed as a duplicate. — chasly - supports Monica, Oct 22, 2015 at 17:07
@chaslyfromUK ok, I'll take a look. On another note it's frustrating that questions get closed as duplicates just because they have the same keywords...I had this happen in the physics department. — michael_timofeev, Oct 22, 2015 at 17:10
@michael_timofeev - But this is a duplicate. The fact that the previous question did not garner a very good answer doesn't change that. — Hot Licks, Nov 21, 2015 at 21:03

Graffito · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-21 22:09:16Z

In dictionary, eye is not only defined as the organ of sight, but also as :

sight; vision (a sharp eye).
the power of seeing; appreciative or discriminating visual perception (the eye of an artist).
a look, glance, or gaze (to cast one's eye at a beautiful necklace).

In the above meanings, "eye" is singular.

Same for ear:

the sense of hearing (sounds that are pleasing to the ear).
keen or sensitive perception of the differences of sound, especially sensitiveness to the quality and correctness of musical sounds (an ear for music; a violinist with a good ear).
attention; heed (to gain a person's ear)

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