cloth-ears
cloth-ears · cloth-ears
A person who cannot hear clearly or who fails to pay attention to what is saidA person who cannot hear clearly or who fails to pay attention to what is said.
Meaning
1 senses(UK, dated, derogatory, informal)A person who cannot hear clearly or who fails to pay attention to what is said.
Origin
The origin of the term is in the wool and cotton mills of Northern England where the noiseThe origin of the term is in the wool and cotton mills of Northern England where the noise of the machinery and build-up of cotton dust made it difficult to hear people speaking. The earliest example in print is "I wish you'd listen. Have you got cloth ears?" from Carnival, a novel by Compton Mackenzie (1912).
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Forms
plural: cloth-ears| Singular | cloth-ears |
|---|---|
| Plural | cloth-ears |
irregular
Word family
1 related wordsRelatedcloth-eared