rabbit ears
Low-to-mid frequencyInformal
Definition
Meaning
An indoor television antenna consisting of two adjustable, often telescopic, metal rods arranged in a V-shape, resembling the ears of a rabbit.
Informally, it can refer to someone's acute or sensitive hearing, particularly when they seem to perk up and listen intently to gossip or a private conversation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a concrete noun for a dated technology. The extended meaning is figurative and humorous.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is understood in both varieties but is more culturally salient in American English due to the historical prevalence of over-the-air broadcast television requiring antennas in suburban homes. In British English, 'aerial' is the more common generic term.
Connotations
Strongly connotes 20th-century technology, nostalgia, and often poor or 'snowy' television reception that required adjustment.
Frequency
More frequent in American English, though declining as the technology becomes obsolete.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The [TV] has rabbit ears.We need to adjust the rabbit ears to get a better picture.He put up some rabbit ears.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None directly, but related to the idiom 'on the rabbit ears' meaning using an antenna for TV (obsolescent).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Only in historical or media technology contexts.
Everyday
Used when discussing old technology or humorously describing someone listening in.
Technical
Used in broadcasting/electronics, though 'dipole antenna' is the precise term.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- We found a rabbit-ears antenna in the attic.
- The rabbit-ears reception was terrible in bad weather.
American English
- That rabbit-ears setup is from the 1980s.
- I bought a cheap rabbit-ears replacement at the store.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The picture is bad. Can you move the rabbit ears?
- My grandpa's TV has rabbit ears.
- Before cable TV, many people used rabbit ears to watch their favourite programmes.
- I had to wrap tin foil around one of the rabbit ears to get Channel 5.
- The museum had an exhibit on vintage media, featuring a bulky television set crowned with a pair of rusty rabbit ears.
- She has rabbit ears for gossip; the moment you whisper, she's all attention.
- The film's setting in the 1970s was subtly underscored by the anachronistic presence of rabbit ears on the family's console television.
- His rabbit ears perked up at the mention of a pay rise, and he abandoned all pretence of not listening to the managers' conversation.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Picture a rabbit sitting on top of an old box television, its long ears picking up broadcast signals from the air.
Conceptual Metaphor
TECHNOLOGY IS ANIMAL (The antenna's form and function are understood through the familiar shape of an animal's sensory organ).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid a direct, word-for-word translation ('кроличьи уши'), which would be nonsensical for the antenna meaning. Use 'комнатная телевизионная антенна' or 'антенна-усы' (colloquial).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'rabbit ears' to refer to a satellite dish. / Incorrectly making it singular ('a rabbit ear'). / Misspelling as 'rabitt ears'. / Using it in a formal technical report instead of 'dipole antenna'.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary meaning of 'rabbit ears'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are largely obsolete in developed countries due to cable, satellite, and internet streaming, but may still be used for receiving free over-the-air digital broadcasts in some areas.
Not in standard usage. The term is a compound noun for a man-made object. To refer to the ears of the animal, one would say 'the rabbit's ears'.
It is decidedly informal and conversational. In technical or formal writing, 'indoor dipole antenna' or simply 'indoor antenna' is preferred.
'Aerial' (more common in UK English) is the general term for any device that transmits or receives radio waves. 'Rabbit ears' is a specific, informal type of aerial shaped like a 'V'.