Literal translation
to have an eye rimmed with anchovy
Meaning
to have eyes red-rimmed from tears or fatigue
Explanation
To have eyelids reddened by tears, tiredness or illness. The anchovy, a cheap little fish preserved in brine, stands in Provence for poverty, and its tendency to turn red in the salt reinforces the image, to the point that people speak of anchoio rouvihouso, rusty anchovies. Its thin, slightly oily shape also evokes the thickened, reddened rim of a tired eyelid. A recent, purely French variant, avoir le cul bordé d'anchois, twists the expression toward the idea of luck, through crossing with another French phrase.