Burning ears: who is talking about me?
ears burning meaning · right ear burning · left ear burning
- ears
- burning
- gossip
- praise
- folk omen
In folk belief burning ears mean someone is talking about you. The right ear means praise and the left means gossip, though some families say the reverse.
Right ear or left ear?
The most common version says a burning right ear means someone is saying nice things, and a burning left ear means you are being criticised or gossiped about. Some say the right ear hears what men say and the left what women say.
How do you find out who it is?
Folk tradition has a trick: go through the names of people you know, one by one. The name at which the burning stops belongs to the person talking about you. Some gently bite their earlobe so the gossip bites their own tongue.
Where does it come from?
Similar beliefs were already written down by ancient Roman authors, so this one is very old. In reality ears go red from warmth, excitement or emotion, just like a blushing face.