Mouth & Teeth Idioms

 
acquire a taste for (something)

- to develop a liking for a particular food/drink/or something

Recently my friend has acquired a taste for expensive neckties.
armed to the teeth

- to be fully armed, to have many weapons

The robbers were armed to the teeth when they robbed the bank.
as scarce as hen's teeth

- very scarce or nonexistent

Cheap apartment rentals are as scarce as hen's teeth in this city.
bad-mouth (someone or something)

- to say bad things about someone or something

The football player began to bad-mouth his coach.
bigmouth

- a noisy/boastful/foolish talker

The man is a bigmouth and he is always talking about what he is planning to do.
bite off more than one can chew

- to try to do more than you can deal with

I am trying not to bite off more than I can chew so that I do not overwork myself.
bite one's tongue

- to try hard not to say something that you want to say

I always bite my tongue when I am talking with my sister so that I do not say the wrong thing.
bite (someone's) head off

- to speak to someone in an angry way

My sister bit my head off when I asked her a question.
bitter pill to swallow

- an unpleasant fact that you must accept

It was a bitter pill to swallow but the fact is that we lost the legal case.
born with a silver spoon in one`s mouth

- to be born to wealth and comfort, to be born rich

The boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he has never worked in his life.
button one`s lip

- to stop talking, to be quiet

"Please button your lip so we can hear what the speaker is saying."
by the skin of one`s teeth

- by a narrow margin, barely

We were able to catch the train but only by the skin of our teeth.
by word of mouth

- orally, from person to person by speaking

I learned about the holiday next week by word of mouth.
cat get`s one`s tongue

- one is not willing to talk because of shyness

The cat got the woman's tongue and she was not able to say anything.
cause tongues to wag

- to give people something to gossip or talk about

The actions of our boss are causing tongues to wag.
chew (someone) out

- to scold someone

The girl began to chew her boyfriend out in the supermarket.
chew the fat/rag

- to chat or talk informally with one's friends

I stopped to chew the fat with an old friend from high school.
clam up

- to close one's mouth, to shut up

The students clammed up when they saw the teacher.
cough (something) up

- to produce something (information/money) that someone is trying to force you to produce

We asked our friend to cough up some money for the restaurant meal.
cut one's eyeteeth on (something)

- to have much experience with something, to have done something since one was very young

My cousin cut his eyeteeth on fixing computers and now he is an expert at it.
cut one's (own) throat

- to experience certain failure

The man cut his own throat when he suddenly quit his job.
down in the mouth

- depressed and unhappy

My friend looked down in the mouth after he finished work yesterday.
down the hatch

- something is swallowed

The cough medicine went down the hatch as soon as I gave it to my little boy.
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

- a system of punishment where you punish someone in the same way that they hurt you

The citizens wanted an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when they learned about the child's murder.
fight (someone or something) tooth and nail

- to fight against someone or something with great energy

The citizens fought the government tooth and nail over the government plans for the new airport.
find one's tongue

- to be able to talk

The man could not find his tongue when he was asked to speak at the banquet.
foam at the mouth

- to be very angry (a sick dog foams at the mouth)

The girl's father was so angry that he was almost foaming at the mouth.
force (something) down (someone's) throat

- to force someone to do or agree to something that he or she does not want

I wish that my friend would not force her ideas down my throat.
give one's eye teeth (to do something)

- to want to do something very much

The little boy would give his eye teeth to have a little puppy.
give (someone) a tongue-lashing

- to give someone a severe scolding

The mother gave her daughter a tongue-lashing when she got home from school.
give voice to (something)

- to speak out about something

The small organization gives voice to many of the poor people in the city.
gnash one's teeth

- to grind one's teeth

I often gnash my teeth when I am sleeping.
grit one's teeth

- to grind one's teeth together in anger or from stress or determination

I grit my teeth and began to clean up after the students' party.
guard one's tongue

- to be careful of what one says

I always have to guard my tongue when I am speaking with my friend's parents.
have a big mouth

- to be a person who gossips or tells secrets

The woman has a big mouth and can never keep a secret.
have a say/voice (in something)

- to have a part in making a decision

I want to have a say in the decision of whether or not we must begin to work in the evenings.
have a sweet tooth

- to like to eat sweet foods

The girl has a sweet tooth and she loves chocolate.
hold one`s tongue

- to be silent, to not talk

"Please hold your tongue," the teacher said to the young boy.
keep a civil tongue

- to speak decently and politely

I tried to keep a civil tongue during my argument with the store clerk.
keep a stiff upper lip

- to be brave, to face trouble bravely

We tried to keep a stiff upper lip when the company announced that they would close our office.
keep one`s mouth shut

- to be/stay silent

I tried hard to keep my mouth shut during the boring speech.
laugh out of the other side of one's mouth

- to change from being happy to being sad

The woman was laughing out of the other side of her mouth when she learned that she would not be promoted.
leave a bad taste in one`s mouth

- to leave a bad feeling or memory with someone

The way that the company treated us left a bad taste in our mouth.
lick one's chops

- to show one's eagerness to do something or eat something (by licking one's lips)

The salesman began to lick his chops when he saw the potential customers at the business convention.
lick one's lips

- to show eagerness to do something or eat something

The little boy began to lick his lips when he saw the candy in the window.
lie through one's teeth

- to lie in a bold manner

The man in the restaurant began to lie through his teeth during the criminal investigation.
like pulling teeth

- to be very difficult to do

It was like pulling teeth to try and get the boy to lend us his bicycle.
lips are sealed

- one will not tell a secret

My lips are sealed and I will not tell anybody the secret.
live from hand to mouth

- to live in poor circumstances, to have little money

The man has been living from hand to mouth for many years now.
long in the tooth

- old

The man was feeling a little long in the tooth and he did not have much energy.
loosen (someone's) tongue

- to relax someone and make them say something that they normally would not say

I went to the coffee shop with my friend where I tried to loosen his tongue.
loudmouth

- a noisy/boastful/foolish talker

My friend is a loudmouth and he is always making plans but he never does anything with them.
lower one's voice

- to speak more softly

The teacher asked the student to lower his voice.
make one`s mouth water

- to make someone want to eat or drink something that one sees or smells

The smell of the fish cooking in the restaurant made my mouth water.
melt in one`s mouth

- to taste very good, to be very tender (for meat)

The pasta served at the new restaurant melted in our mouths.
no skin off (someone's) teeth

- of no interest/concern/trouble to someone

It is no skin off my teeth whether my friend come's to the restaurant with us or not.
not open one's mouth

- to not say anything at all

The man in the movie theater was told not to open his mouth at all.
on everybody's lips

- many people are talking or thinking about the same thing

The wedding scandal with the famous actress is on everybody's lips.
on the tip of one`s tongue

- almost able to remember something that you have forgotten

My former teacher's name is on the tip of my tongue and I will soon remember it.
pay lip service to (someone or something)

- to support someone or something by words but not by actions

The politician paid lip service to the proposal to build a new subway system but he did not really want one.
pull (someone's) tooth out

- to take someone's tooth out (usually done by a dentist)

I went to the dentist so he could pull my tooth out.
put one`s foot in one`s mouth

- to get into trouble by saying something embarrassing or rude

My colleague put his foot in his mouth when he told everyone that he did not like the new manager.
put one's money where one's mouth is

- to stop saying that you will do something and actually do it

The man always talks about helping other people but he never does anything. We finally told him to put his money where his mouth is and do something.
put some teeth into (something)

- to increase the power of something

The government finally put some teeth into the new law.
put the bite on (someone)

- to try to get money from someone

I plan to put the bite on my friend in order to get some money for the weekend.
put words into (someone`s) mouth

- to speak for another person without permission

My boss put words into my mouth when he told me what he thought I wanted to do.
ram (something) down (someone's) throat

- to force someone to do or agree to something that they do not want

The lawyer rammed the settlement down my throat even though I was not happy with it.
read (someone's) lips

- to listen carefully and believe what someone is saying

The supervisor told everybody to read his lips and listen carefully to what he was saying.
run off at the mouth

- to talk excessively

The girl is always running off at the mouth when she is with her friends.
say a mouthful

- to say something of great importance or meaning, to say a lot

The little boy said a mouthful when he talked about the history material.
set one's teeth on edge

- to be unpleasant and to give one an uncomfortable feeling

The idea that we would have to leave our apartment immediately set my teeth on edge.
set tongues wagging

- to cause people to start gossiping

The things that the woman does during her free time always sets tongues wagging at the office.
a sharp tongue

- a way of talking/speaking to others that is unkind/bad/critical

The woman has a sharp tongue and she says some very unkind things to others.
shoot one's mouth off

- to talk too much, to boast, to tell someone's secrets

The young man began to shoot his mouth off in the supermarket.
shove (something) down (someone`s) throat

- to force someone to do or agree to something that is not wanted

I do not like him because he is always trying to shove his ideas down my throat.
show one's teeth

- to show one's anger or strength as a warning to someone not to argue or fight with you

Our supervisor showed his teeth when I began to argue with him about my job.
Shut your mouth!

- Please be quiet and close your mouth!

"Shut your mouth," I said to the man talking loudly in the library.
sink one`s teeth into (something)

- to have something real or solid to think about or struggle with, to take a bite from some kind of food

I was finally able to sink my teeth into the problem and find a solution.
I sank my teeth into the apple and took a bite.
slip of the tongue

- a mistake of saying something that one did not want to say, an error of speech

I made a slip of the tongue when I told the unpopular woman that we will have a party soon.
speak with a forked tongue

- to tell lies, to try to deceive someone

The man speaks with a forked tongue and you cannot believe what he says.
straight from the horse's mouth

- direct from a source that has authority and is dependable

I heard about the party straight from the horse's mouth.
take the words out of (someone`s) mouth

- to say what someone else was just going to say

My friend took the words out of my mouth when he said that he wanted to get something to eat.
teething problems

- difficulties and problems experienced in the early stages of a project/activity

The project has many teething problems that we must deal with.
throw one's voice

- to project one's voice so that it appears to be coming from some other place

The performer likes to throw his voice when he entertains children.
tongue in cheek

- jokingly, insincerely, mockingly, not really meaning something

The comment by our teacher was tongue in cheek and she did not mean it.
tooth and nail

- fiercely, (fighting) as hard as possible

We fought tooth and nail to build the new wing of the hospital.
watch one's mouth/tongue

- to not say something, to not be rude

The boy was told by his teacher to watch his tongue.
zip one's lip

- to not talk, to not tell a secret

I told my friend to zip his lip and stop arguing with me.