Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. UK Und.) ears.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Wattles Ears.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 559: I’m d—d if he was not up to slum, and he whiddied their wattles with the velvet, and floored the town toddlers easy enough.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1852		Kendal Mercury 17 Apr. 6/1: I vill vork my vizzen (neck) so as it [i.e. singing] villiant reach their vattles (ears).
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 93: Wattles, ears.
1947		S.J. Perelman Westward Ha! 15: My wattles flushing a dusty pink, I extended my Pennsylvania driving license.