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WotD: Within earshot
Now, you might be thinking that the term within earshot has something to do with shooting, but I’m here to tell you that there is no shooting involved.
Unless, of course, you’re an American.
We all know that Americans love to bring guns to Walmart, universities, and perhaps even weddings, but that’s a different story.
Rest assured that the term within earshot in the rest of the English-speaking world has nothing to do with shooting.
So now that you have seen the term, you probably think, “What does that even mean?”
Well, fear not, English language learner, I’m here to shed some light on it.
Within earshot refers to the distance within which someone can hear you.
For example, if you’re talking to someone who can hear you without you having to shout, they are within earshot.
It’s a simple concept; if someone can hear you, they are within earshot.
My mother always said if you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything.
I say if you have to say it, make sure they are not within earshot.
You can use within earshot in so many different contexts.
For instance, if you’re at a BBQ and someone is having an R-rated conversation, you should tell them to take it outside so they are not within earshot of the kids.
Or, if you’re in a meeting and your boss is droning on and on, you might mutter to your coworker, “I’ll have to whisper this so he is not within earshot, but I can’t take much more of this.”
So, there you have it, folks; now you know why many Americans whisper so much.
If they talk behind someone’s back, but they are within earshot, the speaker runs the risk of really being shot themselves.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 76.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.