Originally Posted By: lissyj
In lieu of revealing my checkered past, let me just say this; When torturing a prisoner in the Viet Nam era, this meant to put out their eyes. Also, and quite a bit less disgusting, in boxing lingo it occurs when the eyes swell shut. Both the Three Stooges and W. C. Fields used this expression and it was a favorite of Groucho Marx.


Perhaps the etymological connection for this comes from 'fenetre', the French word for 'window' (and the architectural connection noted by another poster on this topic). If the 'eyes are the window to the soul', perhaps this particular (and awful) form of torture makes reference to this metaphor.