to buy with one's ears
- idiom
- Informal
:
dejarse llevar por lo que se escucha
- She tends to buy with her ears, believing every sales pitch.
Examples
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Mark was warned not to buy with his ears when dealing with smooth-talking advertisers.
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Don't buy with your ears when it comes to investments!
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It's risky to buy with your ears when making big decisions; always check the facts.
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Many people bought with their ears during the last election.
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When it comes to buying a car, it's important not to buy with your ears and to do proper research instead.
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He often finds himself regretting purchases because he tends to buy with his ears rather than thinking things through.
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To avoid scams, she learned to be cautious and not buy with her ears when listening to persuasive advertisements.
How Persuadable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to be easily persuaded by what one hears' is directly derivable from combining 'buy' (to accept or believe) with 'with one's ears' (by means of listening). This instrumentive/metaphorical composition is straightforward and follows normal English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Buy with one's ears is a saying that paints the simple picture of a buyer who decides only by a seller's talk — using their ears instead of looking at the goods. One popular idea is that in busy markets people were won over by smooth words, so today it means 'to be easily persuaded or influenced by what you hear'.