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.

Visit our website: languagesystems.edu