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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

tin ear n.

(Aus./US)

1. see put a tin ear on

2. an eavesdropper.

1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 83: Chop the wheeze, we’ve got a tin-ear on our hip.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 240/2: tin ear – an eavesdropper.

3. a fool, a simpleton.

1938		Eve. Sun (Baltimore, MD) 19 Dec. 21/4: Tin ear: a person who dislikes swing.
1939		P.E. Miller Down Beat’s Yearbook of Swing n.p.: tin ear : one who does not like swing music.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1959		A. Zugsmith Beat Generation 59: Oh, he was tin ears strictly around the block.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 80: When the king o’ Jericho gets wind of these tin-ears being around the town.

In phrases

put a tin ear on (v.)

(US) to batter the head and ears, giving the victim a ‘cauliflower’ ear, thus tin-eared, having a ‘cauliflower ear’.

1874		Indiana Democrat (PA) 18 June 3/3: The author [...] is a fool [...] and If I knew who it was, I’d put a tin ear on him.
1879		Des Moines Register (IA) 6 July 3/5: ‘Sick him, John! [...] ‘Put a tin ear on him, John!’.
1881		Ottowa Dly Citizen (Ontario) 5 Apr. 3/2: My private opinion [...] is that the b’hoys will put a tin ear on Spaldin.
1882		Norfolk Landmark (VA) 17 Mar. 1/3: The remainder took the servants and entreated them spitefully, and put a tin ear on them, and frescoed them with Michael Angelo eggs.
1912		Long Beach Press (CA) 17 Aug. 4/5: Bismark proposed to unite them by picking out asome easy country to lick [...] He chose Denmark first and put a tin ear on Copenhagen.
1925		Sportsman-Rev. (Spokane, WA) 2 Aug. 17/1: ‘You ask me that [...] when the referee had to chuck ’em out of the ring?’ queried the Tin-Eared Sport reproachfully.
1933		L.M. Montgomery Pat of Silver Bush Ch. 5 🌐 If Joe knew he’d put a tin ear on ye. But I’ll not be telling.
1937		Nashville Banner (TN) 6 Aug. 9/7: Powell will have a ‘tin ear’ as a result of the blow.
1997		J.E. Badger Jr Lost City Ch. VII 🌐 ‘And I was the discoverer, while you reap all the credit, have all the fun!’ dolefully lamented Waldo, when the catch was displayed with an ostentation which may have covered just a tiny bit of malice. ‘I’ll put a tin ear on you, Amerigo Vespucius!’.