(UK, dated, informal, derogatory) A person who cannot hear clearly or who fails to pay attention to what is said. Its origin 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

Third-person singular simple present indicative form of dog's-ear

plural of bat ear

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lamb, ear.

plural of wood ear

plural of tin ear

(transitive, idiomatic) To make (a person or persons) argue; to set quarrelling.

plural of bear's ear

plural of button ear

(idiomatic, colloquial) Being the topic of discussion in another place; or sensing that this is happening.