mouth
Your talk, especially when it's running loose, loud, or disrespectful.
Also called run your mouth, mouth off.
Updated September 24, 2026
mouth pronunciation
/MOWTH/
Meaning
In redneck and Southern talk, mouth often means the words coming out of you, not just the body part. Run your mouth means you're talking too much, bragging, or stirring trouble. Mouth off is backtalk. Hush your mouth is the soft or sharp way mama shuts it down. DARE ties run one's mouth chiefly to the South and South Midland.
How folks use it
- “You keep runnin' your mouth and somebody's gonna shut it for you.”
- “Hush your mouth and pass the gravy.”
Origin and etymology
Mouth is plain Old English for the opening of the face. Southern and Appalachian speech stretched it into talk itself: your mouth as what you say. Phrases like run your mouth and hush your mouth stuck hard in rural Southern English and later spread wider.
Frequently asked questions
Is mouth always rude?
Not always. Hush your mouth can be playful. Run your mouth usually means you're asking for trouble.