bite (one's) tongue
1. Literally, to accidentally pinch one's tongue with one's teeth. My daughter started crying after she bit her tongue. Gosh, why does it hurt so much when you bite your tongue? Ouch! Yesterday, I bit my tongue so hard it started bleeding. Not fun.
2. To stop oneself from saying something (often something potentially inappropriate, hurtful, or offensive). I had to bite my tongue as my sister gushed about her new boyfriend yet again. I just had to bite my tongue while the boss yelled at me for losing the account. If someone tries to provoke you, just bite your tongue and keep walking.
Bite your tongue!
Stop talking! An expression of frustration with what someone is saying, often because it is pessimistic. A: "Oh, I don't think I'm going to get the job." B: "Bite your tongue! You don't know that for sure." Bite your tongue! I never did anything of the sort! A: "My hair looks dumb, doesn't it?" B: "Bite your tongue! You look stunning, and I know your boyfriend will think so too."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bite your tongue
Hope that what you just said doesn’t come true. This imperative is a translation of the Yiddish saying,
Bays dir di tsung, and is used in informal conversation. For example, “You think it’ll rain on their outdoor ceremony? Bite your tongue!” A much older but related phrase is
to bite one’s tongue, meaning to remain silent when provoked—literally, to hold it between one’s teeth so as to suppress speaking. Shakespeare had it in
Henry VI, Part 2 (1.1): “So Yorke must sit, and fret, and bite his tongue.” See also
hold one's tongue.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer