Bad-mouth

Meaning

The idiom "bad-mouth" means to speak negatively or harshly about someone or something. It can also mean to criticize, disparage, or insult someone or something. The phrase is usually used in the present tense and implies that the speaker is doing or intending to do something harmful or damaging.

Usage

• "Don't bad-mouth your boss in front of his colleagues. It can hurt your reputation." (In this sentence, the idiom refers to speaking negatively about the boss in order to gain an advantage or damage the boss's reputation.)
• "I'm not going to bad-mouth my old roommate. We had our differences, but I still respect her as a person." (Here, the idiom refers to speaking negatively about someone in order to make oneself appear better than them.)
• "It's not fair to bad-mouth someone because you don't like their opinions or beliefs." (In this sentence, the idiom refers to speaking negatively about someone in order to marginalize or discredit them based on their differences from the speaker.)
• "I'm not going to bad-mouth my ex because we had good times together and I still care about him." (Here, the idiom refers to speaking negatively about someone in order to harm their reputation or hurt their feelings.)
• "Don't bad-mouth your coworkers to your boss because it can harm your own performance at work." (In this sentence, the idiom refers to speaking negatively about others in order to gain an advantage over them.)

Roots and History

The exact origin of the idiom "bad-mouth" is unclear. However, it is believed to have originated in the 19th century and has since become a common expression used to describe negative or critical speech. The idiom may have come from the phrase "to bad-mouth someone," which means to speak poorly of someone or to insult them. Over time, the idiom has come to refer specifically to speaking negatively about someone or something, regardless of whether it is true or false.

Synonyms in English

• Criticize
• Disparage
• Insult
• Malign
• Vilify

Synonyms in other languages

• French: "abuser" (to verbally abuse someone)
• German: "vermutlich schlecht sprechen" (to probably speak ill of someone)
• Spanish: "maldecir" (to curse or swear at someone)
• Italian: "condannare" (to condemn or criticize someone)
• Mandarin Chinese: "诬陷" (to slander or defame someone)

Similar Idioms

• an item

• bona fide

• beat around the bush