Also:
be a big mouth
big mouth
Meaning of Idiom ‘Have a Big Mouth’
To have a big mouth means to be talkative and prone to revealing secrets or to be verbally tactless; to talk too much and too loudly, often in an obnoxious or boastful way.
To be a big mouth is to be a person who talks too much and reveals secrets or private information to anyone listening. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. ,2Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. ,3Pare, May. Body Idioms and More: For Learners of English. United States?: Mayuree Pare, 2005.
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Usage
Compare loudmouth. Although some idioms dictionaries list these idioms as synonyms, only big mouth has the connotation of one who cannot keep a secret and is known to reveal private information to whoever who will listen. Although loudmouth can refer to one who gossips or speaks without tact or discretion, the connotation is not identical to big mouth.
Rather than one having a big mouth or being a big mouth, it is also possible to refer to someone’s mouth as being big, as in “My big mouth got me in trouble again.” This carries the same meaning but tends to be slightly less harsh than the other uses. As well, someone can be called a big mouth for inadvertently revealing a secret even if this person does not habitually reveal secrets or talk too much.
Examples Of Use
“Do not tell Chris about the surprise party. He has a big mouth.”
“To be honest, nobody talks to you because they think you have a big mouth.”
“He’s such a big mouth. All he talks about is himself and all his accomplishments.”
“See what you did, big mouth? Now our parents are going to find out I snuck out of the house!” said Emma.
Origin
Used since the late 1800s. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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Sources
| 1, 4. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. |
| 3. | ↲ | Pare, May. Body Idioms and More: For Learners of English. United States?: Mayuree Pare, 2005. |