evil (redirected from eviler)

give someone the evil eye

to look at someone in an angry or unpleasant way. I arrived late for the meeting and Steve Thomson gave me the evil eye.

See also: eye, give

the lesser of two evils

the less unpleasant of two choices, neither of which are good. I suppose I regard the Democratic candidate as the lesser of two evils.

See also: two

a necessary evil

something that you do not like but which you know must exist or happen. He considers taxes a necessary evil.

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the lesser of two evils

the less unpleasant of two choices, neither of which are good. Sometimes I don't like either of the candidates, so I just try to choose the lesser of the two evils.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form a lesser evil: I don't like her, I just think of her as the lesser evil.

See also: two