There’s a wonderful piece by Sarah Larson in the current New Yorker about eavesdropping. You can read it all, here – or just the intro, below. It’s a must-read for those who like to listen in, and for those – like me – who love to record what they’ve overheard.
There are two kinds of overheard conversations. The kind you try to avoid, and the kind that inspire eavesdropping. I’ve been tracking that second species all my life.
I still remember good lines from Paris, in 2019 (“I don’t care what the blood test says—he’s my son”). And Albuquerque, in 1992 (“So the mayor goes, ‘How was I supposed to know he was a convicted felon? Don’t all hot-dog vendors look like convicted felons?’ ”)…. East Village, 2009: “Most ophthalmologists are schnooks.” Seventh Street, 2014: “He has a passion for pizza, and I’m not going to argue with it.” Smoker outside of a downtown bar, 2015: “Nobody can ever Google me, because there’s a million hits for the political prisoner with my name.”
The best lines provide several little thrills at once: a sketch of character, a hint of story, the joy of feeling like you understand the rest. Like a Norman Rockwell painting, they’re obvious yet mysterious, conveying too much and too little in a single moment.
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Norman Rockwell’s preoccupation with eavesdropping aside, all of this set me to thinking about the origin of the word itself. It turns out to be a bit surprising. The Merriam Webster version of the derivation is below.
Originally this word had nothing to do with snooping. Eavesdrop started off literally. First it referred to the water that fell from the eaves of a house. Then it came to mean the ground where that water fell. Eventually, eavesdropper described someone who stood within the eavesdrop of a house to overhear a conversation inside. Over time, the word obtained its current meaning: “to listen secretly to what is said in private.”
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So, there you have it. Now get out there and start listening. All things considered, maybe best to stand under the eaves to hear what’s being said inside. And if it’s raining, not a half bad way to stay dry.