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Little pitchers have big ears

Cultural  

  1. Adults must be careful about what they say within the hearing of children. The saying refers to the large handles (ears) sometimes attached to small vessels.

little pitchers have big ears Idioms  

  1. Young children often overhear something they should not. For example, Don't use any swear words around Brian—little pitchers have big ears. This metaphoric expression, which likens the curved handle of a pitcher to the human ear, was already in John Heywood's proverb collection of 1546.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.

From Time Magazine Archive

The little pitchers have big ears and the catchers wait anxiously every day to hear what is doing with big league catchers in Chicago.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.