- bad-mouth
- bad-mouth (v.) "abuse someone verbally," 1941, probably ultimately from noun phrase bad mouth (1835), in Black English, "a curse, spell," translating an idiom found in African and West Indian languages.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
bad-mouth
Look at other dictionaries:
bad-mouth — bad mouther, n. /bad mowth / or, sometimes, / mowdh /, v.t., bad mouthed, bad mouthing. Slang. to speak critically and often disloyally of; disparage: Why do you bad mouth your family so much? Also, badmouth. [1935 40; orig. a curse, spell (the… … Universalium
bad mouth — (UK) When you are bad mouthing,you are saying negative things about someone or something.( Bad mouth and badmouth are also used.) … The small dictionary of idiomes
bad-mouth — bad mouth; bad mouth·er; … English syllables
bad-mouth — ☆ bad mouth [bad′mouth΄ ] vt., vi. Slang to find fault (with); criticize or disparage … English World dictionary
bad-mouth — (someone/something) to say unpleasant things about someone or something, especially in order to spoil other people s opinions of them. She s always bad mouthing her colleagues. Bad mouthing the police is hardly an original occupation … New idioms dictionary
bad-mouth — v [T] informal especially AmE to criticize someone or something ▪ Her former colleagues accused her of bad mouthing them in public … Dictionary of contemporary English
bad-mouth — [v] to denigrate belittle, criticize, cut down to size*, dis*, disparage, dump on*, find fault, knock*, malign, mudsling*, pan, pooh pooh*, put down*, rap, rip, roast*, run down*, slam, slander, take a dig at*, take down a peg*, tear down*, tear… … New thesaurus
bad-mouth — ► VERB informal ▪ criticize maliciously … English terms dictionary
bad-mouth — 1. tv. to speak ill of someone or something. (See also dirty mouth; poor mouth.) □ I wish you would stop bad mouthing my car. □ Harry bad mouths everything he doesn’t understand. 2. n. someone who speaks ill of someone or something. □ … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
bad-mouth — or bad′mouth [[t]ˈbædˌmaʊθ[/t]] or, sometimes, [[t] ˌmaʊð[/t]] v. t. mouthed, mouth•ing cvb to criticize, often disloyally • Etymology: 1935–40 … From formal English to slang
