Modul 4: Idiom 17: Bite your tongue

Bite your tongue

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘bite your tongue.’ What does this mean? If you “bite your tongue,” you stop yourself from saying something that you really want to.

So, what is the origin of this idiom?

This phrase has always been used as a way to describe the action of preventing yourself from saying something because if you bite down on your tongue, it is impossible to speak.

The idiom is first seen written in the Shakespeare play Henry VI Part 2. That was written back in 1591 so the phrase has been around for a long time. The text of the play says, “So York must sit, and fret, and bite his tongue.” Here we have this clear image of the character York sitting anxiously in silence.

Take a look at our illustration.

How do the two people look? Do they look happy? No, they look angry. They are having an argument – some sort of conflict. The woman is clearly moaning at the man.

Look at how annoyed she looks and look at her outstretched arms as she gestures her anger. Is the man doing the same gestures? No. He is tense. His hands are in fists and he is literally biting his tongue. He clearly has something that he wants to say to her but isn’t.

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

I really had to bite my tongue when she told me my work wasn’t good enough.

Ella’s little brother accidentally broke her favourite toy, but she bit her tongue and forgave him.

I can’t bite my tongue anymore. Someone has to tell her how rude she is!

Next time the cashier is disrespectful to you, just bite your tongue and tell the manager.

“Don’t bite your tongue, tell me how you really feel!”

Great.

Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding.

1.
Jack was very angry when the old lady barged in front of him – you know, she walked carelessly and pushed everyone away – whilst queuing for the bus, but he didn’t say anything.

Was Jack biting his tongue? Yes. He could have complained to the old lady, but he chose not to say anything.

2.
John had been told he was going to be the new head of department at work. However, he’d been asked not to say anything before the official announcement so John kept his exciting news to himself.

Was John biting his tongue? Yes. John wanted to tell everyone, but he kept the news secret.

3.
Surrinder was watching a murder mystery film with her friends. She’d seen the film before, so she knew how it ended, but she didn’t tell her friends.

Was Surrinder biting her tongue? Yes. She didn’t want to spoil the film for them by telling them how it ended.

4.
Andy caught Sarah copying his work during a maths exam. She had the joint top score with him – they both had the same number of points – when the papers were marked. He was furious. “She cheated!”, he said.

Was Andy biting his tongue? No. He wanted everyone to know that Sarah didn’t deserve to get the top score.

5.
Christina was very excited that her daughter was pregnant and that she would become a grandmother for the first time. Christina’s daughter wanted to be the one to share the news, so Christina kept it a secret.

Was Christina biting her tongue? Yes. It was very hard for her to keep such lovely news to herself.

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.