prick up one's ears en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
To listen attentively.
'I doubt if you will ever have met "Rainproof" Nogg,' wrote one about this time—a shrewd old lady whose Dutch-sounding name caused pushful young hostesses to prick up their ears even when it reached them at third hand.
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pricked up one's ears | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| pricked up one's ears | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| pricks up one's ears | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| pricking up one's ears | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| prick one's ears | alternative | lexicographic |
Synonyms
pin one's ears back · perk up one's ears
Translations (21)
fr tendre l'oreille (to listen attentively) · ru навостри́ть у́ши (to listen attentively) · zdj ukaza shishio (to listen attentively) · hu figyel (to listen attentively) · it tendere l'orecchio (to listen attentively) · tr kulak kesilmek (to listen attentively) · tr kulak vermek (to listen attentively) · az qulaq şəkləmək (to listen attentively) · nl zijn oren spitsen (to listen attentively) · hu fülel (to listen attentively) · tr kulaklarını dikmek (to listen attentively) · tr kulak kabartmak (to listen attentively) · ang ontȳnan ēaran (to listen attentively) · pl nadstawiać ucha (to listen attentively) · es ponerse las orejas de punta (to listen attentively) · es pararse las orejas (to listen attentively) · hu hegyezi a fülét (to listen attentively) · pl nadstawić ucha (to listen attentively) · de die Ohren spitzen (to listen attentively) · fr dresser l'oreille (to listen attentively) · fi höristää korviaan (to listen attentively)