Comments on: Ears pinned back

By: cindy

cindy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:58:44 +0000

My granny (who was of Scotch-Irish descent)used to say of my reluctance to do an unpleasant task, “Just back your ears ‘n’ do it,” meaning as the above mentioned sheepdog…get tenacious, get stubborn, get aggressive, and get the job done. This is different from “getting your ears pinned, which means “Open up your ears and listen!” Perhaps y’all are confusing the two sayings.

By: Watching U

Watching U — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:24:10 +0000

The term is commonly misused by sportscasters in the United States, as in, “Lackluster play by the offensive line will allow the opposing linebackers to pin their ears back and come after the quarterback.”

As described above, having your ears pinned back means someone got the better of you. When sportscasters use the term as in the quote above, they are saying the opposite of what they mean. I cringe everytime I hear it or read it, which is often.

What they should instead say is “…lay their ears back,” as in what wolves and other animals do when they assume an aggressive posture just prior to going on the attack.

The concept of pinning one’s ears back is so misused in the U.S. that I’m amazed at how it seems no one in the sports journalism profession can figure out how stupid they’re making themselves sound.

By: Bad Wolf

Bad Wolf — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:00:01 +0000

Just because NFL sports casters use a phrase doesn’t mean they are using it correctly.

However, that being said, it is often the case that a phrase changes meaning over time, or has multiple meanings depending on context.

“Dude” for example is commonly used today to refer to a friend or buddy, but originally it was an insult.

In reference to the original post, I remember an old Bugs Bunny cartoon where he threatened someone by saying “I’ll pin your ears back” lol

It seems there is a difference in meaning depending on who is doing the pinning. If you get your ears pinned back by someone else, that’s a bad thing. But to pin your own ears back is good.

By: David Prince

David Prince — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:09:05 +0000

In Australia, at least in my area, ‘to pin your ears back’ means to have a big night or to put in a great effort in something. In my opinion it is like horse racing where they put their ears back in effort.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:12:12 +0000

I think this post is 180 degrees off mark. I have Australian cattle dogs that drive cattle. The dogs weigh about 50 pounds, the cattle range in weight from 450 to 2000 pounds.
Sometimes a steer will charge, stomp and kick at my dogs, rather than be submit. When that happens, the dogs do in fact pin their ears back and move in low to get the job done. The pinned ears suggest tenacity.
A dog that isn’t up to the job just backs away, perks up his ears and barks. And yes, the bark is alwasy worse than the bite on a stock dog that isn’t up for the job.

By: John

John — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:30:13 +0000

I have heard this saying before and it really is debatable whether or not it is an outdated thing to say.

By: J. Groves

J. Groves — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:57:41 +0000

I’ve never heard it in the context of being defeated as in the baseball example. I’m only familiar with it in the context of “pinning your ears back” to accomplish a goal at all cost, ie. the defensive lineman example in the discussion.

Due to that I always took it rather literally, as in, you would physically pin your ears back (or someone else would) so that they don’t get in the way or your effort. I assumed this was a reference to the animal world, and dog-fighting in particular. Which makes it slightly politically incorrect in my opinion.

Now, if the baseball announcer would have said, “What can he say? They got their ears boxed.” I would have understood very clearly his point. In this context however, I’m confused by his comment. Or perhaps he’s confused more than I.

By: a. pearson

a. pearson — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:20:16 +0000

The phrase was used tonight in the context of the losing team being soundly defeated during a television broadcast of an 11-0 rout of the Phillies over the Dodgers. One announcer said to the other “What will [Dodgers Manager] Mr. Torre say to his team?” Response: “What can he say? They got their ears pinned back.”

By: nathan

nathan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:18:13 +0000

just heard this expression used in the LAD/PHI game, and this definition works perfectly for the context I heard it in.

By: Alan mayn

Alan mayn — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:20:05 +0000

Hi, Do not forgot that have a dog ears pinned back is something commonly done with certain breeds.

By: Paul James

Paul James — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:17:14 +0000

I agree with the original post on sports contexts “Ears pinned back”.

It’s used as a term for alert and ready, and never defeated in any way.

By: Tanner

Tanner — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:20:24 +0000

i agree about the sports comment. it’s used as a term for being alert and ready, not defeated in any way.