Idiom
Bite your tongue
If you bite your tongue, you stop yourself from saying something you want to say, usually to avoid causing trouble.
How people use it
People often say "I had to bite my tongue" after staying quiet during an annoying comment at work or at a family dinner. It suggests effort; you really wanted to speak. It can also be an instruction, "Bite your tongue," meaning hold back a rude remark. In older or playful use, "Bite your tongue" can also mean "Don't say that, it might come true." The tone is informal. A close match is "hold your tongue."
Also said: bite my tongue.
Examples
- When my uncle criticized my cooking, I bit my tongue and passed the salad.
- Priya wanted to correct her boss in the meeting, but she bit her tongue.
- You might have to bite your tongue when other parents give advice you didn't ask for.
Where it comes from
The image is simple: clamping your teeth on your tongue keeps it still, so you cannot speak. English writers have used it this way for centuries. Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2 has a character who must "sit and fret and bite his tongue" while others make decisions he hates.
Check yourself
1. If your friend says she had to bite her tongue at dinner, what happened?
Answer: She held back something she wanted to say. Biting your tongue means stopping yourself from speaking.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Leo bit his tongue instead of arguing with the referee.. The idiom means staying quiet on purpose, so arguing loudly does not fit.
Similar idioms
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