Idiom
all eyes and ears
Meaning
Very attentive.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I am all eyes and ears for your story.”
“Tell me your secret because I am all eyes and ears right now.”
“We are all eyes and ears for the latest news about the flight.”
“The students were all eyes and ears as the teacher explained the final exam requirements.”
“When the guide started describing the hidden path through the jungle, the hikers were all eyes and ears to ensure they stayed safe.”
“The mechanics were all eyes and ears while the lead engineer demonstrated how to fix the broken engine parts correctly.”
“The young chef was all eyes and ears while the master baker revealed the secret technique for making the perfect, light pastry dough.”
“As the director began to outline the new strategy, the entire board sat forward, all eyes and ears for the impending changes.”
Examples
simple
“I am all eyes and ears for your story.”
“Tell me your secret because I am all eyes and ears right now.”
“We are all eyes and ears for the latest news about the flight.”
contextual
“The students were all eyes and ears as the teacher explained the final exam requirements.”
“When the guide started describing the hidden path through the jungle, the hikers were all eyes and ears to ensure they stayed safe.”
“The mechanics were all eyes and ears while the lead engineer demonstrated how to fix the broken engine parts correctly.”
“The young chef was all eyes and ears while the master baker revealed the secret technique for making the perfect, light pastry dough.”
complex
“As the director began to outline the new strategy, the entire board sat forward, all eyes and ears for the impending changes.”
Origin
The expression entered English as a calque of the French *tout yeux, tout oreilles*. Its earliest appearances are restricted to translations of French literary works, where the phrasing was preserved during the transition between languages. The idiom mirrors the independent constructions of *all eyes* and *all ears* to denote a state of total observation.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated