cauliflower ear
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˈkɔːlɪˌflaʊər ɪr/
- Specialized
:
oreja de coliflor
- They got cauliflower ears.
They, they don't know about things like cauliflower ears and, and, and that kind of stuff.
- They, they don't know about things like cauliflower ears and, and, and that kind of stuff.
Examples
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And that whole cauliflower ear?
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Buster developed a cauliflower ear on his right side from getting it ripped open.
Fiction book (1990) -
They, they don't know about things like cauliflower ears and, and, and that kind of stuff.
-
Cauliflower ears.
Fiction book (1992) -
After years of boxing, Tom developed a cauliflower ear that was a badge of his dedication to the sport.
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Many wrestlers often end up with cauliflower ears from the intense physical contact during matches.
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The doctor explained that untreated trauma can lead to permanent cauliflower ears, which often occur in fighters.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from 'cauliflower' (a lumpy vegetable) + 'ear' — it denotes an ear that looks swollen and lumpy like a cauliflower due to trauma. This is a transparent, visually motivated compound (cross-linguistically common), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Cauliflower ear comes from a simple picture: after many hits the ear swells and makes hard, bumpy lumps so it looks like a cauliflower. That's why the phrase is used for the 'permanent, bumpy change to the ear' often seen in boxers and wrestlers.