👂 Pricking Up Your Ears: The Art of Paying Full Attention 🎭
Definition:
Pricking Up Your Ears: To listen attentively. This term, which alludes to horses lifting their ears at a sudden noise, dates back to the sixteenth century.
Synonyms:
- Tune in: To focus on or give attention to something.
- Lend an ear: To listen to someone with sympathy.
- Pay attention: To carefully observe or listen.
- Stay alert: To remain attentive and ready for action.
Antonyms:
- Ignore: To deliberately pay no attention to.
- Overlook: To fail to notice something.
- Disregard: To pay no attention or take no notice of.
- Zone out: To become inattentive or lost in thought.
Related Expressions and Idioms:
- Keep your ears open (Stay vigilant and listen carefully)
- Hear it through the grapevine (Learn of something informally and unofficially by means of gossip)
- Third ear (A metaphorical ear that understands deeper or hidden meanings)
Literary & Cultural References:
- Shakespeare’s The Tempest (4.1): “Like unback’d colts, they prick’d their ears.”
Quirky Quote: “Listening is an art that requires attention over talent.” – Anonymous Sage
Suggested Literature and Media:
- Books:
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (There’s more than one way to listen…)
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Zaphod’s third ear is always tuned in!)
- Songs:
- “Listen to Your Heart” by Roxette
- “Sounds of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel
- Movies:
- The King’s Speech (Listening is as important as speaking)
- A Quiet Place (Where listening is a matter of survival)
Inspirational Insight:
In a world filled with noise, pricking up your ears might just be the superpower you need to understand and connect more deeply with others and the world around you.
### Which of these phrases means to listen attentively?
- [x] Prick up your ears
- [ ] Bend your knees
- [ ] Brush off your shoulders
- [ ] Blink your eyes
> **Explanation:** "Prick up your ears" means to listen attentively, derived from the image of a horse lifting its ears at a sudden noise.
### True or False: The phrase "prick up your ears" dates back to the sixteenth century.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** The phrase indeed dates back to the sixteenth century, as noted in Shakespeare's use in *The Tempest*.
### Which synonym means the same as "prick up your ears"?
- [x] Lend an ear
- [ ] Take off
- [ ] Fly high
- [ ] Jump around
> **Explanation:** "Lend an ear" is a synonym, meaning to listen carefully or with sympathy.
Farewell Thought: “Remember, the most effective communication happens not when we talk, but when we take a moment to listen.” – Lexi Logophile
