据说一个女人等于500只鸭子，这个等式是从制造噪音的角度来讲的。虽然有些夸张，但是确实塑造了女人们的“大众形象”：聚在一起爱听八卦、爱打听。刚巧，有俚语“to have itching ears”可以专门形容这类人。注意啦，英语中“爱窥探秘密的人”会“耳朵发‘痒’”。

　　这种说法来头还不小，出自《圣经·新约·提摩太后书》第4章第3节。基督的使徒保罗劝勉其门徒Timothy(提摩太)要精彩布道，用意趣横生的讲解激发听众的兴趣：For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine;but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.(有时候，他们会厌烦听纯正的教义，但如果你能激发听者听的欲望，他们就会聚拥于师傅周围。)

　　显然，保罗口中”to have itching ears“(听的欲望)可不是让信徒“听八卦”，但随着岁月的流逝，“to have itching ears”现常用来喻指“好打听，爱听新奇的事”。看下面这个例句：Yesterday Mrs.Humphry asked me whether I had heard my neighbors quarrelling with each other;she has itching ears.(昨天，汉弗莱太太问我是否听见邻居吵架了;她就爱听个新鲜事。)

　　问一句：Ladies and gentlemen, do you have itching ears?