Timeline for "Keep my mouth shut"....is it rude to say?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2020 at 15:57 | comment | added | Davor | @Blaisorblade - it;s the other way around, "shut up" comes from keeping things, including mouths, shut. | |
| Aug 22, 2020 at 13:35 | comment | added | Chris Schneider | @Blaisorblade Context is important here. Closed and shut are synonyms in this case (e.g. "Shut the door" or "Close the door"). Either usage is fine. Even telling someone they should "keep their mouth shut" may or may not be considered rude depending on context, familiarity with the person, and how it's said, but that doesn't apply to this question. | |
| Aug 22, 2020 at 9:47 | comment | added | Blaisorblade | @supercat In the latter case, wouldn’t you keep your mouth closed? I’m no native speaker but “shut” sounds too connected to “shut up”. (Of course “keep my mouth shut” still seems unobjectionable). | |
| Aug 22, 2020 at 1:12 | comment | added | supercat | Even when telling someone else to keep their mouth shut would not be impolite if the intention was to keep unwanted objects or substances from getting in, rather than words from getting out. | |
| Aug 21, 2020 at 19:20 | history | answered | Ocie Mitchell | CC BY-SA 4.0 |