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To talk one's ear off



Idiom: to talk one’s ear off ; used as a verb

First Example:

Christine: How was the party last night?
Stanley: Ugh. It was horrible.
Christine: Really? What happened?
Stanley: Well, I went because I wanted to network. There were a bunch of industry people there. But I met this one guy named Prince, and he talked my ear off all night. I couldn’t get away from him.
Christine: Couldn’t you excuse yourself and just not go back to him?
Stanley: I couldn’t get a chance to talk! I even excused myself once to go to the restroom, and he followed me!

Meaning: The expression “to talk one’s ear off ” means to talk to someone excessively. In the above example, Stanley says Prince “talked his ear off” at a party, preventing Stanley from meeting other people.



Second Example:

George: Your phone is ringing.
Tracy: I know. It’s my mom. I don’t feel like answering.
George: Why not?
Tracy: We’re hanging out. If I answer, she’ll talk my ear off, and you’ll eventually get bored listening to me say “Uh huh” and “Yeah” for an hour.
George: Can’t you just tell her you’ll call her back?
Tracy: Ha! No, then she’d be offended. It’s better if she leaves a voicemail, and I’ll call her back later.

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