“Prick up one's ears”in other languages
Suddenly start listening closely.
English
French
Polish
Same idea, different pictures
All three borrow from animals. Horses and dogs lift their ears at a sound: English pricks them up, French makes them stand up, faire dresser l'oreille, and Polish clips with them, strzyc uszami, the way a horse twitches its ears back and forth.
More sayings in other languages
- Drag one's feet
- Pull out all the stops
- Pull someone's leg
- Pull the wool over someone's eyes
- Pull up stakes
- Put something on the back burner
- Put the cart before the horse
- Rack one's brains
- It's raining cats and dogs