give (one) the once-over

1. To inspect or examine one quickly. Make sure you give everyone the once-over before they come into the club. We don't want anyone bringing in anything dangerous. Let me give you the once-over to make sure your outfit looks all right. Hey, give the house the once-over before Mary gets here, and make sure it looks presentable.

2. To look at one in a way that conveys interest, often sexual interest. That cute guy is definitely giving you the once-over—you should go talk to him! I can't believe Mark gave you the once-over—he's a married man! I swear, that girl's giving you the once-over, so why don't you go over and say hi?

give (something) a once-over

1. To review, inspect, or examine something in a quick or cursory fashion. Can you give my paper a once-over? Just see if you spot any typos. Make sure you give those figures a once-over to make sure they are correct. I only gave her report a once-over, but her key findings seemed reasonable to me.

2. To clean something in a quick or cursory fashion. Just give those shelves a once-over because Grandma will be here any minute! I didn't have time to clean the entire house before my parents arrived, so I just gave it a once-over. A: "Have you seen that room? Any amount of dusting would be an improvement." B: "So I can just give it a once-over?" A: "Yeah, sure."

give (someone/something) the once-over, to

To make a quick assessment or examination. An Americanism dating from the early twentieth century, once-over was defined in Dialect Notes in 1915 as “a glance.” In Elizabeth Bowen’s novel The Death of the Heart (1938), “Daphne gave the rest of the cakes a rather scornful once-over.”