all ears, to be
be all ears
To be ready and eager to hear what one has to say. Tell me about your first day at the new job—I'm all ears!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
be all ears
If you are all ears, you are ready and eager to listen to what someone is saying. Okay, tell me what the problem is. I'm all ears. She had expected him to be all ears when she told him about her wedding plans.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
be all ears
be listening eagerly and attentively. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
be all ˈears
(informal) listen very carefully and with great interest: Go on, tell me what happened — I’m all ears. OPPOSITE: listen with half an earFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
all ears, to be
To pay close attention to what is said. The term may have originated in John Milton’s Comus (1634): “I am all ear and took in strains that might create a soul under the ribs of death.” It has been used again and again, by Anthony Trollope and others, to the present day.
See also: all
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer