all ears
all ears
Meaning
- saying that you are all ears means the other person has got your full attention in terms of listening to him
- very keen to hear
- paying special attention
Synonyms
- attentive
- vigilant
- lively
- careful
Example Sentences
- Kids in my class were all ears when I was telling them the story.
- She expected her fiance to be all ears when she was telling him about the wedding plans.
- I was all ears when my grandfather was telling about his adventure trip to the Himalayas in his youth.
- As soon as he heard about the announcement of lottery results on the TV, he was all ears as he himself had purchased five of them.
- When the prime minister came on the stage and started his speech, the audience was all ears, with the noisy auditorium suddenly becoming quiet.
- There was pin-drop silence in the courtroom, and everybody was all ears as the robber started to confess his crimes.
Origin
This phrase got originated back in the 18th century. By nature, we hear from our ears, so all ears means we are using our both ears to listen to someone. All ears give the meaning of attention, care and interest in listening to someone keenly.
The purpose of using this phrase is to convey that he is being given full undivided attention.
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