ear to the ground

plural ears to the ground

1. idiomaticThe practice or characteristic of carefully gathering information; a state or mindset of attentiveness.

   “There's no telling what a man might happen onto accidentally if he travels with his ear to the ground.”

   1910, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 3, in A Texas Ranger

   3 more examples

   Congress never enacts a measure which is believed to oppose public opinion;—your Congressman keeps his ear to the ground.

   1903, Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Disfranchisement of the Negro”, in The Negro Problem

   The tavern keeper's an old friend of mine—we was shipmates when we was younger—and he sort of keeps his ear to the ground for me.

   1990, David Eddings, Sorceress of Darshiva, →ISBN, page 148

   TIME Justice Department correspondent Elaine Shannon is keeping her ear to the ground as candidates' names start to pop up.

   2001 May 3, Elaine Shannon, Jessica Reaves, “Who'll Follow Freeh Into the FBI Corner Office?”, in Time

2. attributiveusually hyphenatedPursuing the practice or having the characteristic of carefully gathering information; well-informed.

   The ear-to-the-ground President knew that all the unrest could not be blamed on Communists.

   1949 August 29, “Chile: Fast Work”, in Time