tin ear

Noun tin ear has 2 senses

• tin ear(n = noun.state) tone deafness - an inability to distinguish differences in pitch;
is a kind of deafness, hearing loss

• tin ear(n = noun.attribute) - insensitivity to the appropriateness or subtlety of language; "he has a tin ear for dialogue"
is a kind of insensitiveness, insensitivity