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cucirsi la bocca

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Italian

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Etymology

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Literally, to sew one's mouth.

Verb

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cucìrsi la bocca (first-person singular present mi cùcio la bocca, first-person singular past historic mi cucìi la bocca, past participle cucìto la bocca)

  1. to shut up; to seal one's lips
    Synonym: tacere
    • 2013, John Steinbeck, translated by Sergio Claudio Perroni, Furore [The Grapes of Wrath], Bompiani, page 367:
      Se lo facevi, be', allora il bastone lo potevi usare, e le donne calavano la testa e si cucivano la bocca.
      If you was, why, you could use your stick, an' women folks'd sniffle their nose an' creep-mouse aroun'.
      (literally, “If you were doing it, well, then the stick - you could use it, and women would lower their heads and shut up.”)