< Back to Phrase of the Day

Bite Your Tongue


When you use the phrase ‘Bite Your Tongue’ you mean to keep quiet, particularly in
the event someone is saying something rude or unpleasant.

Example of use: “I know you want to yell at him, but you’ll just have to bite your tongue.”


Interesting fact about Bite Your Tongue

A phrase similar to ‘bite your tongue’ is first seen in Shakespeare’s 1593 Henry VI, I: “So Orke must sit, and fret, and bit his tongue.”