释义 |
prick up one's ears, to prick up one's earsListen carefully, pay close attention, as in When she heard them mention her boyfriend she pricked up her ears. This term alludes to horses raising their ears at a sudden noise. [Late 1500s] See also: ear, prick, up prick up (one's) ears To listen with attentive interest.See also: ear, prick, upprick up one's ears, toTo listen attentively. This term, which alludes to horses holding up their ears at a sudden noise, dates from the sixteenth century. Shakespeare used it in The Tempest (4.1): “Like unback’d colts, they prick’d their ears.”See also: prick, up |