watch one's mouth

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

watch one's mouth (third-person singular simple present watches one's mouth, present participle watching one's mouth, simple past and past participle watched one's mouth)

1. (idiomatic, US) To be careful about what one says, especially with regard to disrespectful or profane language.

   You really need to watch your mouth. You're a teacher now!

2. (idiomatic, chiefly US) In the imperative form, used as a warning to choose one's words carefully or else be silent, for fear of consequences.

   Hey. Watch your mouth. Don't you realize who's listening?

   • 2012, Terese Pampellonne, The Unwelcome Child:

     You watch your mouth, sis. I may be old, but I can still knock the stars out of the sky for you.

Synonyms

• watch one's language
• watch one's tongue

Translations

watch one's mouth

• Azerbaijani: ağzının danışığnı bilmək
• Finnish: varoa sanojaan (be careful about what one says), ei puhua rumia (profanity), olla puhumatta rumia (profanity)
• French: surveiller son langage, faire attention à ce qu’on dit
• German: aufpassen, was man sagt (literally “to watch what one says”); nicht in diesem Ton reden (literally “not to talk in this tone”); (formal) auf seine Ausdrucksweise achten (literally “to mind one's diction”)
• Hungarian: vigyáz a szájára
• Italian: fare attenzione a quello che si dice, cucirsi la bocca
• Polish: liczyć się ze słowami impf
• Portuguese: prestar atenção ao que diz
• Romanian: vorbi frumos, avea grijă la limbaj, vedea la limbaj, vedea cum (cineva) vorbește, avea grijă cum (cineva) vorbește, vedea ce (cineva) vorbește, avea grijă ce (cineva) zice, vedea ce (cineva) zice
• Russian: следи́ть за языко́м (ru) (sledítʹ za jazykóm), следи́ть за база́ром (sledítʹ za bazárom) (criminal connotation, vulgar)
• Spanish: cuida tu boca
• Swedish: vårda språket