# have Van Gogh's ear for music

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To be tone-deaf.

## Etymology
Van Gogh (a painter, not a musician) is famed for cutting off his own ear. The phrase is attributed to Billy Wilder.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/have-van-gogh-s-ear-for-music