When listening carefully is a sin? In the event that they tell you a lie. What definition can be given to a person’s ability to believe everything that is said to him. For this purpose, the expression "hang ears" is perfect. The meaning of phraseologism we will analyze in this article, as well as the origin and examples from everyday life, cinema and history.
Origin
It is no secret that some turns of speech arose due to the observation of a person over his daily life and nature. For example, the phrase “boil with indignation” appeared in a speech when a person noticed what was happening with water on fire. After all, emotions in us, too, in a sense, are seething.
“Hang your ears”: the meaning of phraseology is rooted in human contemplation of natural life. Our ancestor once noticed how animals behave when they hear some kind of curious sounds. They literally “hang ears”, that is, they turn their auricles in the direction of sound in order to better understand whether they should worry about this or not. Such is the straightforward history of phraseology “hang ears”. We turn to its meaning, as well as the answer to the question of why the quality of animals is unconditionally good — caution in the human environment gave rise to several mutually exclusive ones in the sense of phraseological turns (more on this later).
Value
The considered speech turnover is characterized by a too trusting person. They tell him, but he believes everything. And usually, by talking, they distract him from something substantial or hide important information from him (as was the case with Pinocchio in a famous fairy tale). This is the insidious expression "hang ears." The meaning of phraseology is disclosed to the reader. Therefore, citizens, be vigilant and do not hang your ears in the wrong or dangerous places.
Antonym to phraseologism. “Hang your ears” and “Keep your ears open”
Surprisingly, the caution of animals, which is precisely expressed in the movement of the ears, in the language of people has both negative and positive meaning. The phraseological units cited in the subtitle are opposite in meaning. "Hang ears" characterizes a simpleton who believes everything. Whatever you say to him, everything will be in the suit, everything will fit. Whereas "keep an eye out" characterizes a cautious, distrustful person. In other words, the one you can't fool. Interesting, right? “Hanging our ears” (the meaning of phraseology is not so mysterious now for us) and “keeping our ears open” have different meanings, and they have only one source - observation of wildlife.
"Ears on the Top"
This speech revolution also owes its origin to animals. If they say that a person has ears on the top of his head, then this means that he is always extremely concentrated and up to date with all the events. This phraseologism can both positively and negatively characterize a person, which indicates his general neutral tonality.
Someone may ask: "Well, what does it have to do, tell me," hang your ears "(phraseological unit)." The reader, we believe, will understand that the expression “ears on the top of his head” is somewhere between “hang ears” and “keep your eyes open” However, stop torturing the reader with theory, let's move on to the examples and start with the latter.
The song "Old Grannies"
It contained such words, in fact the refrain: "Grandmothers, grandmothers, ears on the top of the head." Here phraseology is used in an ironic sense and emphasizes the amazing awareness of old women who like to sit at the entrance and wash over everything and everyone's bones.
Despite the continuing harmfulness of such old women, the speech turnover here is generally positively colored.
Mythical pay rise
Now we turn to the main topic of our article, namely to the topic "Hang the ears" (phraseological unit).
Imagine a situation: the boss calls to himself, on the carpet, an employee. The conversation begins benevolently. The boss praises the subordinate for his results in work, quickness. Although the frame called into the chief’s office did not notice much agility, he didn’t really like the work. And he did not think that his boss was such a wonderful person. In conclusion, the chief promises his subordinate an increase in salary, and he leaves calmed down.
The boss leaves the office, and the secretary asks him:
- Well, Nikolai Ivanovich, they could not say.
- No, Irina Vitalievna, I could not.
Then the tone changes. There are metallic notes in it, and he says: “Give me his dismissal order, he will be waiting for our employee at his desk tomorrow morning.”
According to Erich Fromm (a German-American psychologist), I.V. Stalin. When someone made a mistake, he called to his office an objectionable person, awarded or gave a prize and released in peace, and the next day a “black funnel” came for an ex-official and took him away in an unknown direction.
Our imaginary collaborator and Stalin’s cadres were equally inclined to “hang their ears” (phraseologism), but we had to be alert and “keep our eyes open”.
Stirlitz never "hung his ears"
The film about Stirlitz was watched, if not all, then by many. And the audience imagined how difficult it was for him in the enemy rear. If you imagine the antipode of a gullible person, it is difficult to find a more suspicious subject than a scout. He has “enemies all around” in the literal and figurative sense of the word.
Stirlitz probably never asked what it means to hang ears for two reasons: firstly, he knew what this expression means (like our reader), and secondly, he didn’t have such a habit, he kept his organs hearing either vostro or on the crown so as not to slap anything. No wonder, because the life of a scout depends on how much he can hear and listen.
Is gullibility good or bad?
Excessive trust in the world is fraught with problems, especially in our difficult times.
For example, in the 90s of the 20th century there was a fantastic stir around all kinds of financial pyramids. At that time, people did not ask anyone: “What does it mean to hang ears?” It's a pity. They “hung out” them exclusively in silence and carried their money of all kinds to unclean people, to put it mildly. In short, the point of the financial pyramid is that a person invests a little money, but takes a lot.
"Absurd!" - the modern person will say. Of course, but it is now for us. We are used to the capitalist logic of today's world. Moreover, the business sometimes exists quite successfully at the expense of those who like to “hang ears” (the meaning of the expression is covered from many sides) and those who simply have nowhere to go.
But let's not talk about sad things. The sad events of the past and present should not kill a person’s basic confidence in the world, therefore it is difficult to live without him. Do not despair, because everything must be treated wisely. When a person is told something, he should think about whether something is possible, whether it is possible to trust people who promise it, or they have some kind of reasons for themselves. In other words, they are better off not believing and staying away from them.
Usually a person wonders what phraseology “hang ears” means when it is already trapped. That is, he did exactly what folk wisdom warns against. There is only one cure for excessive credulity - to think, think and think again.
Trust is a natural need for a person. The son trusts the father and mother, brother to brother, etc. But the person will not listen to the alcoholic father, who says that he will stop drinking. The imaginary subject will not believe the kleptomaniac brother, who says that he will not steal even the pins anymore. The logic is clear as it seems.
If we cast off the answer to the question of what “hang ears” means in a lapidary wording, we get the following: folk wisdom warns a person from excessive credulity. At the same time, sound confidence in a person or phenomenon, which has some basis, is not ridiculed by phraseological unit.
In other words, you can and should listen and hear, but wisely, a person should not be gullible and naive when it comes to everyday, everyday life.