How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. R. W. Holder. 2014.
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 — (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
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
