earful
pronunciation
How to pronounce earful in British English:
UK [ˈɪəfʊl]
How to pronounce earful in American English:
US [ˈɪrfʊl]
-
- Noun:
- an outpouring of gossip
- a severe scolding
Word Origin
- earful (n.)
- "a piece of one's mind," 1915, from ear (n.1) + -ful. Ear-bash (v.) is Australian slang (1944) for "talk inordinately" (to someone).
Example
- 1. He got an earful , especially over the libraries .
- 2. Critics called it the " porn plane , " and infuriated customers gave southwest an earful .
- 3. The white house hopes lawmakers will return to washington in early september having heard an earful from voters about jobs and the economy .
- 4. State universities have been on the receiving end of significant legislative budget cuts for the past four years . And as they have increased tuition to make up for the lost revenue , they have gotten an earful from students , parents and state legislators .
- 5. Potential bust-up : fear 's infectious , and if no actor wants to have gibson directing them for fear of getting an earful , gibson could find himself very lonely on a movie set ......