a füle botját sem mozdítja

a füle botját sem mozdítja

Hungarian

FWOTD – 16 May 2018

Etymology

Literally: "does not move even the stick of one's ear" (pretending not to hear what was said). The original saying contained bojt (“tuft”) instead of bot (“stick”) and referred to animals when they did not move even the tuft of hair at the end of their ears to follow the owner's orders. Later, as the phrase was used figuratively and the original image was forgotten, the two words were switched because of their similar sound.

Pronunciation

• Audio

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Phrase

a füle botját sem mozdítja

1. (idiomatic) to not respond, ignore a request, give no answer, turn a deaf ear

Quotations

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a füle botját sem mozdítja.