to come to the ears of
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To come to someone's knowledge, especially by hearsay. To get the wrong sow by the ear. See Sow.
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 come to the ears of” mean?
To come to someone's knowledge, especially by hearsay. To get the wrong sow by the ear. See Sow.
Is “to come to the ears of” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.