Welcome to English in a Minute.

Here's an example when two word used together can sound very painful.

A: Hey, I saw your friend Anna yesterday. She was telling me about your birthday party. And she said that it was the best party that she had been to all year.

B: Wow, that's why my ears were burning.

If people say "my ears were burning," it means someone was talking about them, but that they weren't there to hear it. Imagine a message being sent to you when people are talking about you.

This comes from Ancient Rome, when people believed "burning ears" and other sensations signaled current or future events.

If it was in the right ear, the person was praised. The left ear meant evil may come.

And that's English in a Minute.