prick up its ears

prick up its ears
prick up its ears† and prick up one's ears
Fig. [for an animal or a person] to become attentive. (The animal will adjust its ears toward the sound.) •

The sound made the dog prick its ears up.

When Fred heard his name, he pricked up his ears.

She pricked her ears up when she heard her name.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

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  • Prick Up Your Ears — Infobox Film name = Prick Up Your Ears caption = Poster for Prick Up Your Ears director = Stephen Frears producer = writer = John Lahr (book) Alan Bennett (screenplay) starring = Gary Oldman Alfred Molina Vanessa Redgrave Wallace Shawn Julie… …   Wikipedia

  • prick up one's ears — {v. phr.}, {informal} To come to interested attention; begin to listen closely; try to hear. * /The woman pricked up her ears when she heard them talking about her./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • prick up one's ears — {v. phr.}, {informal} To come to interested attention; begin to listen closely; try to hear. * /The woman pricked up her ears when she heard them talking about her./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • prick — prick1 [prık] v 1.) [T] to make a small hole in something using something sharp ▪ Prick the sausages before you grill them. prick yourself/prick your finger (=accidentally make a hole in your skin) ▪ She had pricked her finger on a rose thorn.… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • prick — 1 verb 1 (T) to make a small hole in something, using a sharp point: Prick the pastry lightly with a fork. | prick yourself/prick your finger: Ouch! I ve pricked my finger with the needle. 2 (I, T) to feel an unpleasant stinging feeling on your… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • prick — /prɪk / (say prik) noun 1. a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like. 2. the act of pricking: the prick of a needle. 3. the state or sensation of being pricked. 4. Colloquial (taboo) a. the penis. b. an unpleasant or despicable person. 5.… …  

  • prick — I UK [prɪk] / US verb Word forms prick : present tense I/you/we/they prick he/she/it pricks present participle pricking past tense pricked past participle pricked 1) [transitive] to make a very small hole in the surface of something with a sharp… …   English dictionary

  • prick — [[t]prɪk[/t]] n. 1) pat a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like 2) the act of pricking: the prick of a needle[/ex] 3) pat the state or sensation of being pricked 4) cvb pat a sharp pain or feeling of discomfort caused by or as if by being …   From formal English to slang

  • prick — prick1 [ prık ] verb 1. ) transitive to make a very small hole in the surface of something with a sharp object: He pricked his finger and drew blood. Prick the sausages with a fork. 2. ) intransitive or transitive to cause or experience a guilty… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • prick — 1. verb 1) prick the potatoes with a fork Syn: pierce, puncture, make/put a hole in, stab, perforate, nick, jab 2) her conscience pricked her Syn: trouble, worry, distress, perturb …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • prick — I. noun Etymology: Middle English prikke, from Old English prica; akin to Middle Dutch pric prick Date: before 12th century 1. a mark or shallow hole made by a pointed instrument 2. a. a pointed instrument or weapon b. a sharp projecting organ or …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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