burning ears

[milly143]

where does the phrase, 'his ears must have been burning', come from?

[jno]

thie idea is that if you feel your ears burning it means someone is talking about you. Sorry I don't know exactly where it comes from, though.

[Quizmonster]

The following (modified) sentence appears in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' ..."By the tingling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." (It's not 'tingling' in Shakespeare's version, but I'm sure AnswerBank won't allow me to use the actual word. If you need a clue, it's what you feel if you stick a needle into your finger.)

There's also the idea, if you shiver, that that means someone is walking over your eventual grave-site. An itchy palm means money is coming your way and there are many other similar beliefs.

All of these examples are superstitious hangovers from the days of witchcraft/angels etc, when people believed they were constantly being offered physical signs and warnings of distant or future events.

The idea that 'burning' ears means someone somewhere is talking about you is just another illustration of the same idea. The notion perhaps is that you are desperately anxious - ie 'burning' - to hear what they're actually saying.