have one's ears pinned back

verb

To be strongly scolded, reprimanded or admonished.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbhave one's ears pinned back (third-person singular simple present has one's ears pinned back, present participle having one's ears pinned back, simple past and past participle had one's ears pinned back)

present singular third person has one's ears pinned back · participle present having one's ears pinned back · participle past had one's ears pinned back · past had one's ears pinned back

  1. idiomaticTo be strongly scolded, reprimanded or admonished.
  2. idiomatichobbiesTo be soundly defeated.
Cite this entry
APA

have one's ears pinned back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20ears%20pinned%20back

MLA

“have one's ears pinned back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20ears%20pinned%20back. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have one's ears pinned back,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20ears%20pinned%20back.

Source: have one's ears pinned back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.