The full version of this idiom is ‘being all ears‘ and it is often used in conversation. Have you come across it before?

See if you can guess the meaning from the following dialogue…

Tim: Mike, I’ve got some good news to tell you.
Mike: Go on. I’m all ears.
Tim: I just heard that we’ll have a holiday tomorrow.
Mike: That’s great news!

In this situation, Mike is telling Tim that he’s ready to listen to what Tim is going to tell him. In other words, you can use it to express the idea that you have now started to pay attention to what the other person is going to say.

Photo Credit: Agastecheg

We’ll now look at some examples for using the ‘all ears’ idiom.

1. Children, I want you to be all ears to what I’m about to say, because it’s really important.
2. When it comes to money, Jerry is all ears.

Conversation example
Sandy: Toni, I’ve got some news about Mary.
Toni: About Mary? Tell me, I’m all ears.
Sandy: When Mary came running yesterday with a big grin on her face, I was all ears. You know, I could tell she was about to tell us something big.  Then she surprised us all by saying that she’s getting married!
Toni: Wow! It’s fantastic news, but I still can’t believe it. Is she getting married soon?
Sandy: Yes.  Next month in Hawaii!
Toni: Oh, I’m so happy for her.

Now it’s your turn to think of some examples for this idiom…good luck!

It’s possible that you’ve heard this idiom in the news in recent times… Have you heard it before? If you have heard it before, do you know what it means?

Photo Credit: Sanja Gjenero

We’ll give you an example… see if you can work out the meaning.

“The President elect, Mr. Obama and his new administration team, would have to hit the ground running when he takes office this month, in order to tackle the enormous challenges facing the US right now.”

Have you guessed the meaning now? For those who are not sure, ‘hit the ground running’ means, to start working on something (activity, task, project) immediately and successfully.

Let’s look at some examples…

“Tom, I’m going to have to hit the ground running when I start the new term at school.  We have so many important exams coming up in this term.”

“If you want to do well in your new job, you need to hit the ground running, from the first day at work.”

Conversation example

Jill: Mum, would you like to go shopping with me this moring?

Mum: I’d love to, Jill, but I’m afraid I can’t.  I’m going to have to hit the ground running on this project this weekend, to have any chance of finishing it by Monday.

Jill: What a pity! I was really hoping that you’ll go with me.

Mum: I’m really sorry.  I’ll try and make it up to you next week.

Well, it’s now your turn…  See if you can make your own examples and add them to the comments section below!