ears like a bat

Posted by Smokey Stover on March 23, 2007

In Reply to: ears like a bat posted by James Briggs on March 21, 2007

: : If some one has good hearin do you say they have ears like a bat or is it something else

: In the UK if you use 'bat ears' about someone it means they have large ears - not very complimentary. In this sense it has nothing to do with hearing, only size. It's a term which is even used medically to describe the condition, or was in my day!

On the model of "eyes like a hawk," which would be eyes with really extraordinary vision, "ears like a bat" may signify ears that hear exceptionally well, as a bat's ears do. I'm not sure that it's appropriate for humans, since most bats hear only frequencies too high to be heard by humans.
SS

• Cheers, big ears. pamela 24/March/07
  • Cheers, big ears. Probe 28/March/07