cloth-eared

From the fact that ears made of cloth (for example, belonging to a stuffed toy) cannot hear.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌklɒθˈɪəd/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌklɔθˈɪ(ə)ɹd/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)d

cloth-eared (comparative more cloth-eared, superlative most cloth-eared) (British, dated, derogatory, informal)

1. Not hearing clearly.

   Synonyms: deaf, hard of hearing

2. Failing to pay attention.

   Synonym: inattentive

   Antonym: attentive

• cloth-ears
• cock a deaf 'un

• tin ear

• “cloth-eared”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “cloth-eared”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “cloth-eared, adj.” under “cloth, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1891.
• “cloth-eared, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

• cladothere