(one's) ears are burning
One intuits that people were talking about them, despite not witnessing it. Are you two talking about me? My ears are burning. No wonder your ears are burning—Mom and I were just talking about you and your new job. A: "Well, my ears are burning now. Why are you guys so quiet all of a sudden?" B: "Oh, no reason."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
ears are burning, one's
Be disconcerted by what one hears, especially when one is being talked about. For example, Were your ears burning? Jim was telling us about your exploits. Similarly, make one's ears burn means "to embarrass," as in Mom's stories about us as babies make my ears burn. These expressions allude to one's ears turning red from blushing.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.