give (one) an earful

give (one) an earful

1. To give one a lengthy reprimand or lecture. My mom gave me an earful once she heard about my speeding ticket. I gave that kid an earful after he dented my car. Following the changes we made to our terms of use, customers have given our support teams quite an earful.

2. To divulge secrets to one. Tim gave me an earful about his relationship this afternoon, and it doesn't sound good. I think he's going to break up with Mark. A: "What's wrong?" B: "Sally in accounting just gave me an earful about some major layoffs the company is planning." Elise gave us quite an earful about you two at lunch. How long were you planning to keep your relationship a secret, hmm?

See also: an, earful, give

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

give someone an earful

1. tv. to scold someone. Sally gave Sam an earful for the way he treated Mary.

2. tv. to tell someone surprising secrets. Willy gave Sally an earful about Todd’s tax problems.

See also: an, earful, give, someone

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.