Lend an ear
Meaning
To listen attentively and empathetically to someone, often to their problems or concerns.
Origin
The idiom "lend an ear" conjures a vivid image of temporarily offering a part of oneself – one's faculty of hearing – to another. While the underlying concept of offering attention is ancient, this precise phrasing was immortalized and popularized by William Shakespeare. In his 1599 play "Julius Caesar," Mark Antony delivers his iconic funeral oration with the plea, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." He wasn't merely asking them to listen, but to grant him their full, undivided attention, cementing the phrase in the English lexicon as a profound metaphor for empathetic listening and understanding.
Examples
- When Sarah was going through a tough time, her best friend was always there to lend an ear.
- Sometimes people don't need advice; they just need someone to lend an ear and hear them out.