Literal Translation
Stare at each other like porcelain dogs
Actual Meaning
To glare at one another/look at each other with suspicion
Etymology
The fashion for earthenware began in the 16th century, and around a hundred years later, the expression ‘se regarder en chien de faïence’ (to stare at each other like earthenware dogs) was coined. At that time, people still heated their homes with wood. It was customary to decorate fireplaces with small trinkets, including earthenware dog statues placed facing each other, which spent their time staring at each other defiantly without moving. This is where the expression comes from.
It should be noted that another equivalent expression, ‘to look each other in the eye’, can mean either to stare at each other defiantly or to admire each other lovingly. In Anglo-Saxon countries, they say ‘to look daggers at each other’, meaning ‘to stare at each other as if throwing daggers’. In Brazil, the preferred expression is ‘fuzilar com os ohlos’, meaning ‘to shoot with one’s eyes’.