This phrase seems to be a metaphor to me, however I guess you could say "ear" might be referring to a concept of being able to make music well. Would you say it's a metaphor or metonymy?
Learn English – Is “to have a perfect ear for music” a metaphor or a metonythe
metaphorsmetonyms
Related Topic
- Learn English – Why “I didn’t have the heart to tell him”
- Learn English – Is “sun seems to have set” (on an idea) a metaphor/simile or synechdoche/metonythe
- Idioms – Why Is ‘You’ve Brought a Knife to a Gun Fight’ Considered a Mixed Metaphor?
- Learn English – Can a phrase be both a metaphor and an idiom
- Learn English – a metaphor for something that seems simple or straightforward but is actually complex or has many considerations involved
Best Answer
To have a good ear for music has nothing to do with making music: it means to be able to listen to music, put it in its technical and historical context, and understand what is going on in it. “Ear” thus stands for the great complex of physical, intellectual and emotional capabilities which constitute the critical sense.
This figure, in which a part stands for the whole, is termed synecdoche. Some people regard synecdoche as a kind of metonymy; others specifically exclude synecdoche from metonymy, insisting that a figure is only properly termed metonymy if the term alluded to does not embrace the alluding term.