To cup your ear is to hold a hand behind it to hear better. Cup your ear and lean in.
It genuinely works, since the hand gathers sound the ear would otherwise miss. To cup your ear at somebody is also a way of saying you cannot hear them without interrupting.
1phrasecup your earTo hold a hand behind the ear to hear better.
“He would cup your ear whenever the television was too quiet.”
cup your ear is a gesture.
Practised in Body Language & Gestures