to cock the ears
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To prick up the ears, or turn them as a horse does when he listens to a strange sound.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to cock the ears” mean?
To prick up the ears, or turn them as a horse does when he listens to a strange sound.
Is “to cock the ears” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.