大家一定都知道ear 的意思是“耳朵”，那关于耳朵，大家了解多少呢？比如 I'm all ears 是什么意思？比如耳朵的“特产”耳屎怎么说？如果你不知道，就“洗耳恭听”，我来给你讲吧！

1. I'm all ears.
我洗耳恭听。

先给大家讲个小故事：One day, we hired a carpenter to repair our house. I dwelt on (详细讲述)all the details that needed repairing to him. Then I asked him, "Are you clear? Can you remember all that?" "Yes!" the carpenter replied. "I am all ears!" I felt puzzled and did not know what he meant. Later my eldest¹ son explained to me that he meant, "I am listening attentively²!"

故事中的这个人一定是很奇怪那个木匠为什么要说“我全是耳朵”，还是他儿子帮他解了围。原来，I am all ears 的意思是 listening eagerly，就是专心聆听、聚精会神的听。

与I'm all ears相反的是It goes in one ear and out the other，就是我们常说的“左耳进，右耳出”。小时候妈妈经常会抱怨我们把她的话当成“耳边风”，比如下面这句话：I told the children to go to bed, but it went in one ear and out the other, and they're still here.（我叫孩子们睡觉，可他们把我的话当耳边风，还在那不动。）

2. Your ears are full of earwax.
你的耳朵里全是耳屎。

各位有看过 Jennifer Lopez主演的 The Wedding Planner (爱上新郎) 这部电影吗? 里面有一段是他们玩拼字游戏。他们拼的就是 earwax 这个词，也就是英文“耳屎”的意思。看来美国人觉得“耳屎”是一种腊 (wax)。

以前我们讲过挖鼻孔是 pick one's nose，那挖耳朵自然就是 pick one's ear了? 没错，老美管挖耳朵叫 scratch one's ear 或是 pick one's ear。平常我们挖耳朵用的小勺就叫 earpick。不过老美他们挖耳朵都是用棉花棒 (cotton swab 或者 Q-tip，一种有名棉花棒的牌子)，说 earpick 老美可能会听不太懂。