in one ear and out the other

1. Quickly forgotten, as in Their advice to her just went in one ear and out the other. This expression, a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection, conjures up a graphic image of sound traveling through one's head. [Late 1300s]

Example Sentences

Her own answers sometimes slid into fluffy politician-speak—her repeated invocations of phrases “the opportunity economy” and “what unites us is greater than what divides us” probably went in one ear and out the other for a lot of listeners.

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Shreya says she "refuses to process" the comparisons, saying they go "in one ear and out the other".

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“With some guys it would go in one ear and out the other. I’d tell guys, `Make sure to take your playbook home and study.’

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It goes in one ear and out the other.

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Not looking, on the computers, going in one ear and out the other or talking to each other or multitasking or whatever.

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