cauliflower ear

American  

noun

1. an ear that has been deformed by repeated injury, resulting in an irregular thickening of scar tissue.

---

cauliflower ear British  

noun

1. Also called: boxer's ear.  Technical name: aural haematoma.  permanent swelling and distortion of the external ear as the result of ruptures of the blood vessels: usually caused by blows received in boxing

---

Etymology

Origin of cauliflower ear

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

Johnson, squeezed into a wig so tight we get a vicarious headache, has pumped up his deltoids to nearly reach his prosthetic cauliflower ears.

From Los Angeles Times

Raw facial strawberry scrapes and cauliflower ears won’t get you on the injured list but will earn you pitch cred — and get your photo taken by me.

From Los Angeles Times

The one he finally got was a cross-eyed ex-boxer with cauliflower ears, who could only type, not break codes.

From Literature

I tape my wrists, followed by my ears — to the side of my head — so I don’t get cauliflower ear, which is what happens if you get a shot to the ear.

From New York Times

“Picking a fight with China is like picking a fight with someone in a bar who is missing a few teeth, cauliflower ears – and is ready to go,” he said.

From The Guardian