Reader’s question:The bite itself is often painless -- then skin reddens, turns white, develops a red "bull's-eye," blisters, and becomes painful. Bites warrant immediate medical care.

Could you explain “bull’s eye”?

My comments:

A non-question, really, but a good one.

Here the “bull’s eye” means nothing other than the center of the bite, which the author chooses to describe as a “bull’s eye” because it looks like one, you know, the eye of an angry bull, blood-shot and red.

Nothing, that is, to do with the usual use of “bull’s eye” to signify the center of a target, as in Olympic archery. Figuratively speaking, if you hit the bull’s eye with your observation or argument, it means your remarks are to the point, or, in another cliché, right on cue.

Can’t say that about this particular question you’ve raised, but that is neither here nor there.

As long as you don’t get an answer that misses, by a country mile, the bull’s eye.

Related stories:

Lower 48 states

Pick up steam

Personal chemistry

Put it on the back burner

Butt-brush effect

Make the cut

Poker face

Win hands down

Out on the street

Fly-by-night

Apple polisher

Might-have-beens

Think the world of

Ante up

Sit on the fence

On top of the world

Button your lip

One for the books

Pass the buck

Raw deal

Fire sale

Spill the beans

Sacred cow

Cheek to jowl

Peaches and cream

Know-it-all

A long shot

Miss the boat

Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.