Van goghs ear for music

Van Gogh's ear for music

Meaning

Tone deaf.

Examples

I’d love to join the choir but my audition was a disaster. The conductor said I had Van Gogh’s ear for music.

Where did it originate?

An ironic joke alluding to Van Gogh’s celebrated loss of his ear, coined in Britain in the late 20th century. The source idiom ‘ear for music’ has been used in Britain since the 18th century.

Where is it used?

Mostly Britain and not a common idiom.

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About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Van goghs ear for music