Old buildings are coming down round our ears

Question

Hello:In the following paragraph (BrE), does"buildings are coming down round our ears"mean"buildings are becoming ruined, in our very presence?""The sorely needed conservation focus the city should have has been misappropriated by a small group who have an ideologically extreme take, from which they are extrapolating the most inappropriate master-planning criteria. This will allow them to dictate the type of buildings deemed 'suitable'. They will in effect have a veto on all development in the whole inner city. The saddest thing is that whilst this damaging exercise is being undertaken, lots of our valuable old buildings are still coming down round our ears".http://www.downtownliverpool.org/policy/heritage.htm  Seems to be idiomatic, I found it in other places also.Thank you,Marius Hancu

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[nq:1]In the following paragraph (BrE), does "buildings are coming down round our ears" mean "buildings are becoming ruined, in our very presence?"[/nq]
Almost. Being demolished (so the site can be built on), rather than becoming ruined (which would suggest a natural deterioration).
Mark Brader, Toronto > "What Europe needs is a fresh, unused mind." (Email Removed) > Foreign Correspondent

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[nq:2]In the following paragraph (BrE), does "buildings are coming down round our ears" mean "buildings are becoming ruined, in our very presence?"[/nq]
[nq:1]Almost. Being demolished (so the site can be built on), rather than becoming ruined (which would suggest a natural deterioration).[/nq]
Demolished, yes, but in context the phrase had more to do with what was being demolished: historic buildings. It pointed out that without controls developers were able to demolish historic buildings, and that these buildings were coming down all around us.

Without the reference to something being demolished that should not be demolished, the phrase would mean that the demolishing was done in near proximity to us. As it is, proximity is not a factor but the rate at which the buildings are coming down is a factor.

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[nq:1]Hello: In the following paragraph (BrE), does "buildings are coming down round our ears" mean "buildings are becoming ruined, in our very presence?"[/nq]
I would take it to mean "while we are inside them", but I don't think that is what the author had in mind.

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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[nq:2]In the following paragraph (BrE), does "buildings are coming down round our ears" mean "buildings are becoming ruined, in our very presence?"[/nq]
[nq:1]Almost. Being demolished (so the site can be built on), rather than becoming ruined (which would suggest a natural deterioration).[/nq]
Hmm, I have some reservations whether that's the general interpretation (being demolished).
This is another quote, from a contemporary British author:

(Sir George is leading two visitors through his castle at Seal Court.) "Seal Court isn't interesting" said Sir George. "It isnt' open to the public, you know. It's in a bad way. My fault, indirectly. Lack of funds. Coming down round our ears."
A.S. Byatt, Possession, 1990, p. 85

There's no mention in the book on Seal Court being demolished. As a matter of fact the owner, Sir George, still lives there. I think the place is just falling apart in some areas.
Thank you all.
Marius Hancu

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[nq:2]Almost. Being demolished (so the site can be built on), rather than becoming ruined (which would suggest a natural deterioration).[/nq]
[nq:1]Hmm, I have some reservations whether that's the general interpretation (being demolished).[/nq]
It's not. You asked about the meaning in that paragraph.
[nq:1] (Sir George is leading two visitors through his castle at Seal Court.) "Seal Court isn't interesting" said Sir George. ... ears." A.S. Byatt, Possession, 1990, p. 85 ... I think the place is just falling apart in some areas.[/nq]
Yes, exactly. Or, as you said before, becoming ruined. In still another context, it could refer to the failure of a business or other organization.

Mark Brader, Toronto > "GUALITY IS FIRST"
(Email Removed) > slogan of "Dongda electron CO.,LTD"

My text in this article is in the public domain.

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[nq:2]Almost. Being demolished (so the site can be built on), rather than becoming ruined (which would suggest a natural deterioration).[/nq]
[nq:1]Hmm, I have some reservations whether that's the general interpretation (being demolished). This is another quote, from a contemporary British ... of fact the owner, Sir George, still lives there. I think the place is just falling apart in some areas.[/nq]
You're right, "coming down round our ears" does not in and of itself imply demolition. In the previous example, it did refer to demolition, deliberately tearing down old, historic buildings. In this example, it refers to decay, ruin, from being unable to afford repairs.

The "coming down" part literally (or nearly literally) means "coming down." The "round our ears" is an exaggerated way of saying "all around us, close to us" and it suggests a certain degree of unhappiness that the thing is coming down. It implies that the speaker is standing in the middle of the destruction.
But as an overall expression, it is metaphorical. One could say that if people involved in a project make one more mistake, it will bring the whole effort crashing down around their ears.
Some examples from the Web:
If we watch TV news, particularly during sweeps month, we're likely to believe that the world is coming down around our ears. ...

Would it really bring democracy tumbling down around our ears if, instead of driving six miles to the illusory bargains of the Wal-Mart, we could walk a block ...
When the storms of life are crashing down around our ears, they are frightful and painful.
The "around our ears" doesn't add a lot to merely "down" except for saying where we are located. The thing is not falling down somewhere far away, it is falling down right here. And we might suffer.

Best Donna Richoux

Old buildings are coming down round our ears

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