Flea in the ear

One would imagine that a flea or some such insect in one’s ear would cause a great deal of distress and this must have been the case when lice and fleas were a general problem in ancient times. By the early 17th century, however, it had become a metaphor for a sharp rebuke as in to send someone away with a flea in their ear. It is first attested in Foole upon Foole (1605) Chapter 3, written by Robert Armin. Presumably, such a rebuke would leave one’s ears tingling, as if a wretched flea was still in there.