What does the phrase 'Piping of my eye' mean?

Question

E.g. Off I went, piping of my eye

Answer 1

means tears coming to your eyes, i.e. to cry. its quite an old saying around 19th century not normally used now

Answer 2

I have heard this saying, but it was an awfully long time ago and I think I read it in a book. My understanding is that it was another way of saying that someone was crying. The person saying it though, usually means that they have no patience with the reason for the tears! I don't know of its origins though. Just found this ref on the website below: 'What argufies sniveling and piping your eye? —18th Century British Sea Chanty'.

Answer 3

There's a suggestion on another question that it is rhyming slang for "cry" but I don't think this is right because no-one ever talks about "piping", it's always used in full. I believe it originated as naval slang. The context usually seems to imply that someone is crying or snivelling inappropriately. Perhaps it is related to piping being used to signal someone on board - that the person is drawing attention to themselves by crying.

Answer 4

It means crying, to have water flow from the eyes. Gilbert uses it in this sense in Iolanthe, when the House of Lords sings:

But as she's not his mother, it appears,
Why weep these harsh, unnecessary tears?
And by what law should we so joyously
Rejoice, because our Strephon did not die?
Oh, rather let us pipe our eye
Because our Strephon did not die.

Answer 5

Crying, we used to sing a song at school called "Nellie Bly piped her eye".

Answer 6

It means crying.

Answer 7

well , I am pretty ancient, but I have no idea! I have never heard of that

Answer 8

I WANT POINTS :P