Came out with his ears clipped/ to leave in shame/ "to leave with a flea in the ear"/ to be reprimanded ("with ears clipped")
In a question: He left with a shameful face. He left humiliated. He left with harm (picked up from the meaning of a torn piece).
("Reuven went out with his ears pricked up, and Shimon Levi began to call out to his brothers, saying, "Brothers, you were in the law." - at the beginning of Rabbah (Vilna) Parashah and Yahya Parashah 11)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
יָצָא וְאָזְנָיו מְקֻוטָּפוֹת
Definition (Hebrew)
בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: יָצָא בְּבֹושֶׁת פָּנִים. יָצָא מֻושְׁפָּל .יָצָא בְּנֶזֶק (מְקֻוטָּף מַשְׁמָע תָּלוּשׁ).
("יָצָא רְאוּבֵן וְאָזְנָיו מְקֻטָּפוֹת,הִתְחִיל קוֹרֵא שִׁמְעוֹן לֵוִי אַחִים דְּפַחְתָּא(לְדָבָר רַע). אָמַר לָהֶם: אַחִים הֱיִיתֶם בְּדִינָה"- בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (וִילְנָא) פָּרָשַׁת וַיְחִי פָּרָשָׁה צט)