"Mouth" Idioms - English Vocabulary and Study Tips!

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with  Jennifer. Does learning vocabulary drive you  

up the wall? Does it annoy you or frustrate you?  If it does, you're not alone. People have asked me  

whether or not they should learn idioms. My answer  is yes, but... See? It's not that simple. In my  

lesson on literary devices, I gave the advice that  idioms can be limited in use according to culture,  

dialect, age, and other factors. First and  foremost, you need to build familiarity with  

idioms so that you understand them when you hear  them and read them. Like my use of "drive you up  

the wall." Were you able to guess the meaning?  In time, you'll learn to associate an idiom with  

certain situations, like learning lots of words  or lots of grammar can drive you up the wall.  

You can also develop a sense of who uses an idiom.  Which generation? Maybe which professions or which  

industries? Knowing when it's appropriate to use  an idiom will give you the confidence to use it.

Here are some tips. One. When you learn  an idiom, note where you first heard it.  

What was the situation? Who was the  speaker and who was the listener?

Two. Try to guess the meaning from context,  

but you can confirm your understanding  with an online dictionary.

Three. Use a resource like YouGlish.com to  hear more examples -- real uses of the idiom  

in context. Four. Remember that idioms are  like seasoning. They're not the main dish,  

so don't pile idioms onto your plate or the  plate of your listeners. You can use idioms  

to spice up your speech, but too many can ruin  a conversation. Do you understand my analogy?

Right now, I'd like to share  five idioms related to the mouth.  

Funny, huh? Let's see if you can understand  each one before I explain the meaning.

One. It's never a good idea to  bad-mouth your boss or your colleagues.  

That kind of talk will almost always get you in  trouble. What does it mean to bad-mouth someone?

B. To bad-mouth someone means to criticize them.  You say negative things that would hurt them.  

Often bad-mouthing someone takes place out of  earshot, meaning when they're not listening.

What would you do if you found out a  co-worker or classmate was bad-mouthing you?

Two. Children usually learn at an early age  not to mouth off to teachers or other people in  

authority. That kind of behavior is usually  punished. What does it mean to mouth off?

A. To mouth off means to talk rudely. It can be  a combination of complaining and criticizing.  

You can mouth off to someone. You can mouth  off about something. If you mouth off in anger,  

you say lots of strong opinions  on issues that bother you.  

Should children be punished for  mouthing off to their parents?

Three. My uncle can usually be found in a group  of people shooting his mouth off about sports  

or politics. He has a lot to say about both.  What does it mean to shoot your mouth off?

B. To shoot your mouth off means to talk freely,  

almost carelessly. IF you shoot your mouth off,  you'll likely say things that you never meant  

to say. You might share too much. Shooting your  mouth off can be a form of boasting or bragging.

Your friend is shooting her mouth off  at a party about her wonderful new job.  

You can tell she's not going to stop anytime  soon. Do you let her go or do you stop her?

Four. I almost ruined the surprise  birthday party when I told my friend,  

"See you later tonight." Then I quickly added, "I  mean if you're free. Maybe we can get together.  

Call me." Gosh! Me and my big mouth.  What does it mean to have a big mouth?

C. If you have a big mouth, you tend to talk too  

freely to the point where you give away  secrets or say things you shouldn't say.

This is different from shooting your mouth off,  which is often talking at length. When you say,  

"Me and my big mouth," it means you let something  come out that you should have stayed silent about.

Someone who is a big mouth is a  person who likely gossips a lot.  

This is not the kind of person  you want to tell a secret to.  

If you do share a secret, then you likely need  to warn this person to keep their big mouth shut.

Do you ever talk too freely? Has your  big mouth ever gotten you in trouble?

Five. The sight and smell of the rich  chocolate cake made my mouth water.

What does it mean to make your mouth water?

C. If the sight, smell, or thought of some food  makes your mouth water, you begin to salivate,  

and you want to eat it immediately. Let's  do some wordplay. Help me form an adjective.  

If chocolate cake makes my mouth  water, how can we describe the cake?

I'll give you a hint. We're forming a  compound modifier that ends with -ing.

Mouthwatering. A mouthwatering chocolate cake.

Name one smell that makes your mouth water.

Okay. Time to recall what we've learned.  Complete my sentences with the correct idioms.

One. My dad sat behind the wheel mouthing  off about how bad the traffic was  

and how the city needs to improve the roads.

Two. Never bad-mouth a friend. If  you have criticism, have the respect  

to say it to their face. Three. The smells of my  grandmother's cooking always makes my mouth water.

Four. I told my friend all about my vacation,  but I shouldn't have shot my mouth off like  

that. She's on a tight budget and can't travel  right now. I should have been more sensitive.

Five. Don't tell Katie about the  job offer. She has a big mouth,  

and she'll tell everyone your plans  before you're ready to make them public.

As a bonus, I'll throw in a saying  that's more a proverb than an idiom,  

but I think you'll like it. Have  you ever noticed that children  

sometimes see things so simply and clearly,  they're capable of wisdom beyond their years?

If a child recognizes a truth especially before  you do, you can say, "Out of the mouths of babes."

That's all for now. For practice,  you can post your answers to my five  

questions in the comments. Please like and  share the video if you found the lesson useful.  

As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

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