stare piercingly; look hard
Idiomatic expression used with verbs like 見る or 見つめる to describe staring so intensely it feels like a hole could open up. Often used in the phrase 穴が開くほど見る.
See also: 穴の開くほど
He stared at my face so hard it felt like it would bore a hole.
I was staring at the painting so intently it could have burned a hole through it.
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; common in casual writing.
Alternate kanji for あく; less common but valid.
Literal meaning is 'to the extent that a hole opens'. The expression is a hyperbolic metaphor for staring so fixedly that one's gaze seems to physically bore into the object.