cloth-ears

== English == === Etymology === The origin of the term is in the wool and cotton mills of Northern England where the noise of the machinery and build-up of cotton dust made it difficult to hear people speaking. The earliest example in print is "I wish you'd listen. Have you got cloth ears?" from Carnival, a novel by Compton Mackenzie (1912). === Noun === cloth-ears (plural cloth-ears) (UK, dated, informal, derogatory) A person who cannot hear clearly or who fails to pay attention to what is said. ==== Related terms ==== cloth-eared === Anagrams === chelators, chlorates, clathrose, searcloth, trochleas