Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. whispering, secretive gossiping.

1821		J. Burrowes Life in St George’s Fields 25: Earwigging, whispering.
1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 24 Oct. 309/3: Some ear-wigging had taken place among the company, that it was likely to be ‘No go!’.
1840		London Mag. Mar. 89/1: [T]hese two functionaries, who were rivals for the good graces of the magistrates—both straining neck- and-neck for promotion, and resorting diligently to the aids, respectively, of ear-wigging and fulsome adulation.
1867		W.H. Smyth Sailor’s Word-Bk (1991) 271: Ear-Wigging. Feeding an officer’s ear with scandal against an absent individual.
1873		see sense 2.

2. a private rebuke.

1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn).
1873		Sl. Dict. 155: Earwigging a private conversation; a rebuke in private; an attempt to defame another unfairly, and without chance of appeal; a wigging is more public.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 26: Earwigging, a rebuke in private.
1996		T. Belt Naturalist in Nicaragua 83: I can imagine a young ant getting a severe earwigging from one of the major-domos for its stupidity.

3. eavesdropping.

1824		L.M. Hawkins Memoirs, Anecdotes, Facts, and Opinions 233: I remember the first introduction of Boswell on what may be called the Johnsonian stage. What is ludicrously called his earwigging, began to attract notice.
1838		Paul Pry 30 Sept. 183/2: Vates is not wanting in tricks and tacts [...] with a little jockeying, a little hocussing, two or three pounds over weight, a little ear-wigging [...] the Leger, could be contrived and made safe.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 35/2: What the — was you doing there? [...] Ear-wigging, eh?
1915		Truth (Wellington) 22 May 7: Henry did some earwigging and soon heard voices in the bedroom.
1919		S.L. Gwynn John Redmond’s Last Years 60: He hated everything that savoured of earwigging.
1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 445: Ear wigging, Listening; eavesdropping.
1930		(con. 1910–20s) D. Mackenzie Hell’s Kitchen 118: Earwigging ... listening.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 4: Earwigging: Listening.
1970		G.F. Newman Sir, You Bastard 173: A bit of earwigging proved very informative.
1981		S. McAughtry Belfast 28: There must have been somebody earywigging [sic].
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 103: A triple A-grader when it came to earwigging.
2006		www.computerhope.com 🌐 Eavesdropping. Also known as ‘earwigging’, eavesdropping is a term used to describe the process of listening, monitoring, and/or examining someone without their permission and/or knowledge.