Idioms 4 Idiots: I’m All Ears

Elsie Karlak

Listen up everyone! Just kidding, you don’t have to listen if you don’t want to. But the idiom I chose for this collage is all about listening – as in, you know, being ‘all ears.’ The phrase appeared in print in The London Magazine (1785) but was probably used in the vernacular for years before finding its way into print. Some idioms I’ve heard really don’t make any sense at all, but the logical leap on this one isn’t too hard. If we use our ears to hear, then logically being ‘all ears’ means you’re listening even harder.

It’s definitely one I’ve heard thrown around a lot, especially in a condescending tone. But all it means is that a person really wants to hear what you have to say and that they’re listening closely. In making this collage, this is a pretty literal take because the idea of someone covered in ears was a weird, but fascinating image in my head. So, I made it! I gotta say, after looking at that many ears for so long while assembling this, they all started to look like alien organs or something. Probably because they kinda are, but I digress. See ya next time!