👂 In One Ear and Out the Other 🧠
Definition:
- Inattentive; soon forgotten! Picture a verbal boomerang with a broken return mechanism. This phrase paints the vivid image of information entering one ear only to swiftly exit the other without leaving a trace.
Origins:
- This image dates all the way back to ancient Rome. Quintillian, around A.D. 80, noted, “The things he says flow right through the ears.” Chaucer echoed this sentiment, joining John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection. Thomas Hood even added a punny twist in his “Ode to the Late Lord Mayor” in 1825: “He comes in at one year, to go out by the other!”
Related and Similar Terms:
- Inattentive Listening
- Selective Hearing
- Forgetful as a Goldfish
- Short-Term Memory
- Memory Like a Sieve
Synonyms:
- Ignored
- Disregarded
- Overlooked
- Unheeded
Antonyms:
- Retain
- Remember
- Absorb
- Hold on to
Humorous Quotes:
- “I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I’ve ever met.” – Anonymous
- “I think my brain has too many tabs open.” – Anonymous
- “Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Proverbs and Other Sayings:
- “Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.” – Cicero
- “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember.” – Benjamin Franklin (albeit optimistically)
- “A clear conscience is a sign of a bad memory.” – Mark Twain
Literature Recommendations:
- “Lapsus Calami” by James Kenneth Stephen – For the playful treatment of memory lapses.
- “Finnegans Wake” by James Joyce – A literary voyage through the swirling vortices of human consciousness.
- “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez – A magnificent case of collective amnesia and other-worldly forgetfulness.
Songs to Hum Along:
- “Forgetful Heart” by Bob Dylan
- “Memory” by Barbra Streisand
- “Let it Go” (because sometimes it goes in one ear and we… let it go out the other).
Movies to Watch:
- “Memento” - Definitely a contender for the all-time forget-your-forgetting film.
- “Finding Dory” - Embrace the goldfish conundrum in aquatic splendor.
- “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” - Travails of treasured and selectively forsaken memories.
### Which of these fits as an idiom?
- [x] In one ear and out the other
- [ ] Through the nose and past the toes
- [ ] Out the door with a snore
- [ ] Walking on smog-filled clouds
> **Explanation:** "In one ear and out the other" is an authentic idiom depicting the fleeting nature of attentiveness. The others—well, they’re entertaining imaginations!
### Which phrase signifies forgetfulness?
- [ ] Batting an eyelid
- [ ] Dancing on rainbows
- [x] In one ear and out the other
- [ ] Shooting stars on buses
> **Explanation:** The phrase "In one ear and out the other" is all about memory passing through with the velocity of a bullet train. The others? Delightful distractions, perhaps?
### True or False: "In one ear and out the other" originated in modern times.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** This phrase dates back to ancient Rome, showing that forgetfulness isn't a modern privilege.
### Which is an opposite concept of "In one ear and out the other"?
- [x] Holding on to every word
- [ ] Dancing with ducks
- [ ] Flying with falcons
- [ ] Swimming in syrup
> **Explanation:** "Holding on to every word" is about attentiveness at its peak, which is the polar opposite of "in one ear and out the other."
### What is a humorous quote on forgetting?
- [x] "I think my brain has too many tabs open."
- [ ] "Sailing the seven seas in slippers."
- [ ] "Pineapples in the starlight."
- [ ] "Walking backwards in glue."
> **Explanation:** "I think my brain has too many tabs open." captures the frazzled, multi-thread experience of modern forgetfulness.
Author’s Bow: Thank you for embarking on this whimsical journey through the delightful quirks of human memory. Sometimes, it’s in one ear and out the other, but remember, the moments we hold and the stories we tell remain powerful.
Published by Wordsworth Waggoneers, 2023.
