wash one's mouth out

English

Alternative forms

• wash out one's mouth

Verb

wash one's mouth out (third-person singular simple present washes one's mouth out, present participle washing one's mouth out, simple past and past participle washed one's mouth out)

1. (often imperative) To watch one's mouth, especially regarding swear words.
   • 1970, Alline Bullock (lyrics), “Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter”, in Workin’ Together, performed by Ike & Tina Turner:

     Wash out your mouth, your lies are gettin' rusty

   • 1999 November 19, “A pother of pedants”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Some Tory MPs think the Queen needs to wash her mouth out.

   • 2011 March 23, “James Cameron Shines like a star”, in The Guardian‎^[2], retrieved 2021-11-12:

     But anybody who says Cameron was hedging his bets better had wash their mouth out; this was nothing more than the kind of away day where only the top names rock up.

Related terms

• potty mouth

Translations

characteristic

• Russian: вымой свой рот с мылом (vymoj svoj rot s mylom), вымой свой рот (vymoj svoj rot), помой рот с мылом (pomoj rot s mylom)