hold one's tongue

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

hold one's tongue (third-person singular simple present holds one's tongue, present participle holding one's tongue, simple past and past participle held one's tongue)

1. (idiomatic) To refrain from talking about something.

   I don't like his political ideas, but I will hold my tongue.

   • 1837 March, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Relates How Oliver Twist Was Very Near Getting a Place, Which Would Not Have Been a Sinecure”, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], published 1838, →OCLC, page 48:

     “Hold your tongue, beadle,” said the second old gentleman, when Mr. Bumble had given vent to this compound adjective.
     “I beg your worship’s pardon,” said Mr. Bumble, incredulous of his having heard aright,—“did your worship speak to me?”
     “Yes—hold your tongue.”

Translations

refrain from talking about something — see also shut up

• Arabic: صَمَتَ (ṣamata)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 保持沉默 (bǎochí chénmò)

• Czech: držet jazyk za zuby (cs)
• Danish: tie (da), tie stille
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: purra kieltänsä, pitää suunsa kiinni
• French: tenir sa langue (fr)
• German: den Mund halten
• Greek: κρατάω το στόμα μου κλειστό (kratáo to stóma mou kleistó), κρατώ το στόμα μου κλειστό (krató to stóma mou kleistó)
• Hungarian: befogja a száját
• Icelandic: þegja þunnu hljóði
• Italian: tenere a freno la lingua, tenere la bocca chiusa
• Japanese: 噤む (ja) (tsugumu), 黙りこくる (damarikokuru)
• Kikuyu: gũkira
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: taceō (la), compesco linguam, favete linguis (to more than one person)
• Maori: whakatōngā
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: trzymać język za zębami (pl) impf
• Portuguese: morder a língua
• Romanian: tăcea (ro), a-și ține gura
• Russian: придержа́ть язы́к pf (prideržátʹ jazýk), держа́ть язы́к за зуба́ми (ru) (deržátʹ jazýk za zubámi), молча́ть как ры́ба (molčátʹ kak rýba), молча́ть как ры́ба об лёд (molčátʹ kak rýba ob ljod) (dated), набра́ть воды́ в рот (ru) (nabrátʹ vodý v rot)
• Spanish: callarse (es), guardar silencio, mantener la boca cerrada, morderse la lengua (es), cerrar el pico
• Swedish: knipa igen, knipa käft (sv), tiga (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: בײַסן זיך די צונג (baysn zikh di tsung)

See also

• bite one's tongue