ENGLISH
REFERENCE

burn someone's ears

idiom
Meaning

To cause blushing of someone's ears due to strong embarrassment.


Examples
SIMPLE

His loud, rude comments really burned my ears.

CONTEXTUAL

She told such an embarrassing story about me that it burned my ears in front of everyone.

COMPLEX

The public revelation of his private failures burned his ears, leaving him unable to meet the gaze of his colleagues.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all ears

    Listening intently; fully focused.

  2. 02

    all eyes and ears

    Very attentive.

  3. 03

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  4. 04

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  5. 05

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  6. 06

    apple of someone's eye

    The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.

  7. 07

    are your ears burning

    Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

  8. 08

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

© 2026 English Reference