earwigging
Covertly overhearing conversations
Earwigging is British slang for eavesdropping or listening in on a conversation you weren't meant to hear.
I caught her earwigging outside the manager's office.
The term can also mean bending someone's ear with persistent talk or nagging, though the snooping sense predominates.
It derives from the old folk belief that earwigs crawl into people's ears—the idea being that an earwigger gets their ear uncomfortably close to private business.
Listening without being noticed
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- wiretappingCovert phone surveillance
- buggingSecretly recording conversations
- interceptingCatching en route
snooping · spying · monitoring · tapping · covert · clandestine · undetected · secret
Intrusively curious
- pryingIntrusively inquisitive
- intrusiveInvading others' privacy
- interferingIntruding in others' affairs
- busybodyIntrusive meddler
buttinsky · snooping · impertinent · overstepping · unwelcome · presumptuous · interloper · invasive
Unconfirmed circulating story
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- tittle-tattleTrivial, idle chatter
- whisperingBreathy, near-silent speech
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
chatter · buzz · backbiting · natter · blabber · gossipmonger · dirt · juicy
Grasping claw organ
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
nocturnal · pest · larvae · forceps · thorax · abdomen · entomology · soil-dwelling
overhearing
Listening without being noticed
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- wiretappingCovert phone surveillance
- buggingSecretly recording conversations
intercepting · snooping · spying · monitoring · tapping · covert · clandestine · undetected · secret · private
nosy
Intrusively curious
- pryingIntrusively inquisitive
- intrusiveInvading others' privacy
- interferingIntruding in others' affairs
busybody · buttinsky · snooping · impertinent · overstepping · unwelcome · presumptuous · interloper · invasive · obtrusive
rumor
Unconfirmed circulating story
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- tittle-tattleTrivial, idle chatter
- whisperingBreathy, near-silent speech
hearsay · chatter · buzz · backbiting · natter · blabber · gossipmonger · dirt · juicy · tea
pincer
Grasping claw organ
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
invertebrate · nocturnal · pest · larvae · forceps · thorax · abdomen · entomology · soil-dwelling · omnivore
earwiggingspeaking up
Voicing your thoughts
chiming in · contributing · butting in · interjecting · broadcasting
earwiggingignoring
Deliberately not noticing
tuning out · disregarding · switching off · blanking · turning a deaf ear
earwiggingannouncing
Publicly stating information
broadcasting · publicizing · declaring · proclaiming · tuning out