ear to the ground
English
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Noun
editear to the ground (plural ears to the ground)
- (idiomatic) The practice or characteristic of carefully gathering information; a state or mindset of attentiveness.
- 1903, Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Disfranchisement of the Negro”, in The Negro Problem:
- Congress never enacts a measure which is believed to oppose public opinion;—your Congressman keeps his ear to the ground.
- 1910, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 3, in A Texas Ranger:
- “There's no telling what a man might happen onto accidentally if he travels with his ear to the ground.”
- 1990, David Eddings, Sorceress of Darshiva[1], →ISBN, page 148:
- The tavern keeper's an old friend of mine—we was shipmates when we was younger—and he sort of keeps his ear to the ground for me.
- 2001 May 3, Elaine Shannon, Jessica Reaves, “Who'll Follow Freeh Into the FBI Corner Office?”, in Time:
- TIME Justice Department correspondent Elaine Shannon is keeping her ear to the ground as candidates' names start to pop up.
- (attributively, usually hyphenated) Pursuing the practice or having the characteristic of carefully gathering information; well-informed.
- 1949 August 29, “Chile: Fast Work”, in Time:
- The ear-to-the-ground President knew that all the unrest could not be blamed on Communists.
Usage notes
edit- Often used in the expressions “to keep/put/have one's (or an) ear to the ground”.
Translations
editthe practice of carefully gathering information
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