keep one's mouth shut

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

keep one's mouth shut (third-person singular simple present keeps one's mouth shut, present participle keeping one's mouth shut, simple past and past participle kept one's mouth shut)

1. (idiomatic) To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly; broadly, to refrain from speaking altogether.
   • 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter XXV, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1906 February 26, →OCLC:

     He thought that he could get him a regular salary if he would come to Packingtown and do as he was told, and keep his mouth shut.

   • 2004 November 23, Alan Cowell, “Charles Joins Fray Over Himself”, in New York Times, retrieved 25 Oct. 2008:

     Charles has failed to follow the example of his mother, the queen, who has heroically kept her mouth shut for more than 50 years.

   • 2022 May 23, Emma Farge, “Russian diplomat in Switzerland says he resigns over Ukraine invasion”, in Reuters‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 May 2022, Europe:

     He said he had raised his concerns about the invasion with senior embassy staff several times. "I was told to keep my mouth shut in order to avoid ramifications," he said.

Synonyms

• keep one's lips sealed, keep one's own counsel

Translations

Translations

• Danish: holde kæft (da)
• Finnish: pitää suunsa kiinni, pitää suu kiinni
• Italian: tenere la bocca chiusa
• Polish: trzymać buzię na kłódkę impf
• Russian: держа́ть язы́к за зуба́ми (ru) impf (deržátʹ jazýk za zubámi)
• Swedish: hålla käften (sv), hålla käft (sv)