> as lemmas

a1300 (?a1250) Serm. (Trin. Cambr.) in Bull. Mod. Humanities Res. Assoc. (1928) 2 106 (MED) Þe harde harte of man..þat lat in godis word atte ton ere & vt atte toþir.

a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 5151 For all yede oute at oon ere That in that other she dide lere.

1534 G. Joye Subuersion Moris False Found. f. lix Y^e sowne of their wordis were but slyper voyces smytinge y^e moste slyper sense to enter yn at one eare & to go out w^t many at y^e tother.

1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xxi. 125 [A sermon] goes in at the one eare and out at the other.

1629 J. Mabbe tr. C. de Fonseca Deuout Contempl. xxxii. 531 Not they who heare the Word of God, and forget it, taking it in at one eare, and letting it out at another.

1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 33 The Ambassador entring into discourse upon several Subjects, which were all too long and tedious for the Turkish Humour, they went in at one Ear and out at the t'other.

1726 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (ed. 2) xxxiii. 173 Let it go in at one ear, and out at the other; never report it again.

1776 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 89/2 But rather let what you hear pass in at one ear and out at the other, so that it may make no impression on your heart.

1820 Times 21 July 3/4 Were you bespoke at the time you had the conversation with Mr. Lane, at Windsor, which passed in at one ear and out at the other?

1862 E. C. Gaskell Let. ?16 May (1966) 923 You know things so often go in at one ear with him & out at another that it will be as well to be quite sure.

1930 ‘Brent of Bin Bin’ Ten Creeks Run v. 52 You might hear a lot that isn't true if you listen to gossip. It's best to let such things go in one ear and out the other.

1958 Flying May 50/2 I let the knowledge go in one ear and out the other—my first mistake.

2007 Independent 6 Mar. 25/3 Her comments go in one ear and out of the other.