Idiom
little pitcher
Meaning
A child.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Be careful what you say, as little pitchers have big ears.”
“That little pitcher understands much more than you think.”
“Don't swear while that little pitcher is playing nearby.”
“We should change the subject because there is a little pitcher in the room.”
“I realized the little pitcher was paying attention when he started repeating my complaints about the neighbors during dinner.”
“Wait until the little pitcher goes to sleep before you finish telling me that secret story about your boss.”
“The adults lowered their voices to a whisper, mindful that a little pitcher was listening intently from the corner of the parlor.”
Examples
simple
“Be careful what you say, as little pitchers have big ears.”
“That little pitcher understands much more than you think.”
“Don't swear while that little pitcher is playing nearby.”
contextual
“We should change the subject because there is a little pitcher in the room.”
“I realized the little pitcher was paying attention when he started repeating my complaints about the neighbors during dinner.”
“Wait until the little pitcher goes to sleep before you finish telling me that secret story about your boss.”
complex
“The adults lowered their voices to a whisper, mindful that a little pitcher was listening intently from the corner of the parlor.”
Origin
Derived from the proverb little pitchers have big ears, the term appears in English by the mid-16th century. The comparison rests upon the physical resemblance between a vessel's handle and the human ear, noting that both are prominent and perpetually open to reception. The image suggests that a child, despite a modest capacity for understanding, may possess an inconveniently large capacity for overhearing.
Key words
Related idioms
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