lend an ear
idiom

- if you lend an ear to someone or their problems, you listen to them carefully and sympathetically

Collins Dictionary
 
—
PHRASE ORIGIN

We can thank Shakespeare for today’s phrase. In the master’s work Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony is presiding over Caesar’s burial after the conspirators in the Roman Senate have stabbed the Roman leader to death. Anthony implores the crowd to “lend me your ears” and convinces them to drive the assassins from the city.

—
"EAR-DIOMS"

- fall on deaf ears = when people ignore something that someone says (Sometimes I feel like my advice to the team just falls on deaf ears.)

- wet behind the ears = to be young and inexperienced (Give him a second chance. He’s just a little wet behind the ears.)

- be up to one’s ears (in something) = to have too much to do (I can’t go to the movies with you tonight. I’m up to my ears in work at the moment.)

—
SYNONYMS

- to focus one’s attention

attend to, be alert to, be all ears, be attentive, be aware/heedful/mindful (of), behold, concentrate (on), get a load of, give an audience to, give ear/heed (to), give one’s undivided attention (to), goose-step to, hang on someone’s words, hark, harken, keep your ears open, LEND AN EAR (to), listen intently, listen up, mark my words, pay attention/heed/regard (to), pin your ears back, take heed/note/notice (of), tune in (on, to), watch out (for)

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Guess what? Just LEND ME YOUR EAR for a few minutes and google ‘noises online’. It’s an amazing free service allowing an infinity of sounds to help you stay focussed, or just to relax.”

—
HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations.

Every month, I spend evening and weekend hours with my family researching and writing your daily OWAD. It remains FREE, AD-free, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren't already, please also consider supporting us - even the equivalent of a single cup of coffee a month will help us cover mailing, site hosting, and maintenance costs. Just head over to DonorBox:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-5-3

Thank you!