[ear] See: ABOUT ONE’S EARS or AROUND ONE’S EARS, BELIEVE ONE’S EARS, DRYBEHIND THE EARS, FLEA IN ONE’S EAR, GIVE AN EAR TO or LEND AN EAR TO, GO IN ONEEAR AND OUT THE OTHER, JUG-EARED, LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG EARS, MUSIC TO ONE’SEARS, PIN ONE’S EARS BACK, PLAY BY EAR, PRICK UP ONE’S EARS, ROASTING EAR, TURNA DEAF EAR, UP TO THE CHIN IN or UP TO THE EARS IN, WET BEHIND THE EARS.

[early] See: BRIGHT AND EARLY.

[early bird]{n.} An early riser from bed. •/Jane and Tom are realearly birds; they get up at 6 A.M. every morning./

[early bird catches the worm] or [early bird gets the worm] A personwho gets up early in the morning has the best chance of succeeding; if youarrive early or are quicker, you get ahead of others. — A proverb. •/WhenBilly’s father woke him up for school he said, "The early bird catches theworm."/ •/Charles began looking for a summer job in January; he knows thatthe early bird gets the worm./ Compare: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.

[earn one’s keep]{v. phr.} To merit one’s salary or keep by performingthe labor or chores that are expected of one. •/John earned his keep at themusic conservatory by dusting off all the musical instruments every day./

[earnest] See: IN EARNEST.

[ears burn]{informal} To feel embarrassment or shame at hearing otherstalk about you. •/Joan overheard the girls criticizing her and it made herears burn./ •/Joe’s ears burned when he heard his classmates praising himto each other./

[earth] See: COME BACK TO EARTH or COME DOWN TO EARTH, DOWN-TO-EARTH, INTHE WORLD or ON EARTH, MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH.

[ear to the ground]{n. phr.}, {informal} Attention directed to theway things are going, or seem likely to go, or to the way people feel andthink. •/The city manager kept an ear to the ground for a while beforedeciding to raise the city employees' pay./ •/Reporters keep an ear to theground so as to know as soon as possible what will happen./

[ease] See: AT EASE or AT ONE’S EASE, ILL AT EASE.

[ease off] or [ease up] {v.} To make or become less nervous; relax;work easier. •/When the boss realized that John had been overworking, heeased off his load./ •/With success and prosperity, Mr. Smith was able toease off./ Compare: LET UP(3).

[easily] See: BREATHE EASILY or BREATHE FREELY.

[east] See: DOWN EAST.

[easy] See: FREE AND EASY, GET OFF EASY, ON EASY STREET, TAKE IT EASY or GOEASY or TAKE THINGS EASY.

[easygoing]{adj.} Amiable in manner; relaxed; not excited. •/BecauseAl has an easygoing personality, everybody loves him./

[easy as pie] See: PIECE OF CAKE.

[easy come, easy go]{truncated sent.}, {informal} Something youget quickly and easily may be lost or spent just as easily. •/Grandfatherthought Billy should have to work for the money Father gave him, saying "Easycome, easy go."/

[easy does it]{informal} Let’s do it carefully, without suddenmovements and without forcing too hard or too fast; let’s try to just hardenough but not too hard. •/"Easy does it," said the boss as they moved thepiano through the narrow doorway./ Compare: TAKE IT EASY.

[easy mark]{n.} A foolishly generous person; one from whom it is easyto get money. •/Bill is known to all the neighborhood beggars as an easymark./ See: SOFT TOUCH.

[easy money]{n.}, {informal} Money gained without hard work; moneythat requires little or no effort. •/The movie rights to a successful playmean easy money to the writer of the play./ •/Young people who look foreasy money are usually disappointed./

[eat] See: DOG-EAT-DOG, LIVE HIGH OFF THE HOG or EAT HIGH ON THE HOG, LOOKLIKE THE CAT THAT ATE THE CANARY.

[eat away]{v.} 1. To rot, rust, or destroy. •/Rust was eating awaythe pipe./ •/Cancer ate away the healthy flesh./ See: EAT OUT(2). 2. Togradually consume. •/The ocean waves were gradually eating the volcanic rocksuntil they turned into black sand./

[eat away at]{v. phr.} To psychologically gnaw at; to worry someone.•/Fear of the comprehensive examination was eating away at Sam./

[eat crow]{v. phr.} To admit you are mistaken or defeated; take back amistaken statement. •/John had boasted that he would play on the first team;but when the coach did not choose him, he had to eat crow./ •/Fred said hecould beat the new man in boxing, but he lost and had to eat crow./ Compare:BACK DOWN, EAT HUMBLE PIE, EAT ONE’S WORDS.

[eat dirt]{v. phr.}, {informal} To act humble; accept another’sinsult or bad treatment. •/Mr. Johnson was so much afraid of losing his jobthat he would eat dirt whenever the boss got mean./

[eat (live) high on the hog] or [eat (live) high off the hog] {v.phr.} To eat or live well or elegantly. •/For the first few days after thecheck arrived, they ate high on the hog./ Compare: IN CLOVER or IN THECLOVER, ON EASY STREET.

[eat humble pie]{v. phr.} To be humbled; to accept insult or shame;admit your error and apologize. •/Tow told a lie about George, and when hewas found out, he had to eat humble pie./ •/In some old stories a boy witha stepfather has to eat humble pie./

[eating one]{v. phr.} To cause someone to be angry or ill-humored.•/We can’t figure out what’s eating Burt, but he hasn’t spoken one pleasantword all day./

[eat like a bird]{v. phr.} To eat very little; have little appetite.•/Mrs. Benson is on a diet and she eats like a bird./ •/Alice’s mother isworried about her; she eats like a bird and is very thin./ Contrast: EAT LIKEA HORSE.

[eat like a horse]{v. phr.} To eat a lot; eat hungrily. •/Theharvesters worked into the evening, and then came in and ate like horses./Contrast: EAT LIKE A BIRD.

[eat one out of house and home]{v. phr.} 1. To eat so much as to causeeconomic hardship. •/Our teenaged sons are so hungry all the time that theymay soon eat us out of house and home./ 2. To overstay one’s welcome. •/Welove Bob and Jane very much, but after two weeks we started to feel that theywere eating us out of house and home./

[eat one’s cake and have it too]{v. phr.} To use or spend somethingand still keep it; have both when you must choose one of two things. Often usedin negative sentences. •/Roger can’t make up his mind whether to go tocollege or get a job. You can’t eat your cake and have it too./ •/Marywants to buy a beautiful dress she saw at the store, but she also wants to saveher birthday money for camp. She wants to eat her cake and have it too./

[eat one’s heart out]{v. phr.} To grieve long and hopelessly; tobecome thin and weak from sorrow. •/For months after her husband’s death,Joanne simply ate her heart out./ •/We sometimes hear of a dog eating itsheart out for a dead owner./

[eat one’s words] also [swallow one’s words] {v. phr.} To take backsomething you have said; admit something is not true. •/John had called Harrya coward, but the boys made him eat his words after Harry bravely fought a bigbully./ Compare: EAT CROW.

[eat out]{v.} 1. To eat in a restaurant; eat away from home. •/Fredate out often even when he wasn’t out of town./ 2. To rust, rot, or bedestroyed in time. •/Rust had eaten out the gun barrel./ See: EAT AWAY.

[eat out of one’s hand]{v. phr.}, {informal} To trust someonefully; believe or obey someone without question. •/The governor has thereporters eating out of his hand./ •/Helen is so pretty and popular thatall the boys eat out of her hand./