Meaning & use
box someone's ears
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Meanings
phraseidiomold-fashioned
To hit someone, usually a child, on the side of the head with an open hand as a punishment.
Grammar: The possessive changes with the person: she boxed his ears, they boxed her ears.
Patterns
- box someone's ears
His grandfather used to say a teacher would once have boxed his ears for such cheek.
The old sailor threatened to box the boy's ears if he touched the rope again.
In the story, the cook boxes the kitchen boy's ears for dropping a plate.
phraseidiomhumorous
To say, usually jokingly, that you feel like scolding or punishing someone who has annoyed you.
Grammar: Often used in the threat 'I'll box your ears' without any real intention.
Patterns
- I could box someone's ears
- I'll box your ears
If you tell him the ending of the film, I'll box your ears.
I could box his ears for forgetting the tickets.
Word forms
| third person singular | boxes someone's ears |
|---|---|
| past tense | boxed someone's ears |
| -ing form | boxing someone's ears |
Common combinations
- threaten to box someone's ears
- Her aunt threatened to box her ears if she skipped church.
- deserve to have your ears boxed
- After that prank, you deserve to have your ears boxed.
- get your ears boxed
- He got his ears boxed for swearing at the neighbour.
- I'll box your ears
- Stop teasing your sister or I'll box your ears.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cuff
- To cuff is to give a light blow with the hand, often to the head, and is less tied to punishment than box someone's ears.
- clip round the ear
- This is a British phrase for a quick slap to the head, and it sounds a little less old-fashioned than box someone's ears.
- slap
- Slap is a general word for hitting with an open hand anywhere on the body, not only the ears.
- scold
- Scold only means to tell someone off with words, whereas box someone's ears involves a blow, real or joked.
Word family
Commonly confused: box someone's ears or box (in boxing)?
box someone's ears vs box (in boxing)
To box in sport means to fight with gloves under rules. To box someone's ears is a punishment slap, not a sport.
Practice
What does Gran mean in: 'Say that again and I'll box your ears'?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means to slap someone on the head, often as a mock threat. It has nothing to do with the sport or with gifts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “box someone's ears”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.