Wiping the eye

what is the meaning of the phrase "wiping the eye"?
This is thw sentence in which I bumped into it: "Even at this moment there was something dangerously fascinating in the thought of wiping the eye of the whole x family and then daring them to do their worst."
Thanks.

Wiping one's eyes usually means what it says: drying the area around one's eyes after a crying spell. If it has a figurative meaning, I'm unaware of one. In the sentence you quoted, it might be extended to mean encouraging the family to stop crying, or stop grieving, and jump into action. Does this idea fit the context? ~rb