| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Round (To). | | |
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To whisper. (Anglo-Saxon, runian; German, raunen, to whisper.) (See ROUNDED.) | 1 |
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That lesson which I will round you in the ear—which I will whisper in your ear. (Bunyan: Pilgrim’s Progress.) | 2 |
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“France … rounded in the ear with [by] … commodity [self-interest] hath resolved to [on] a most base … peace.”—Shakespeare: King John, ii. 1. |
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| “And ner the feend he drough as nought ne were, |
| Ful privëly, and rounëd in his eere, |
| ‘Herkë my brother, herkë, by thi faith . . | |
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Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 7132. |
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