Don't tell secrets in corn fields. Too many ears around.

Behind the Groan

Every Cornstalk Is Listening

Each cob of corn is called an ear, while ears are also what people use to overhear a secret. A corn field can therefore contain hundreds of “listeners” without any people nearby. Deliver the warning quietly, as though protecting genuinely private information. Pause after “corn fields,” then glance around before mentioning all the ears. The small performance helps the ordinary farm term shift into the body-part meaning without needing to explain why the field suddenly seems crowded.