Bigmouth strikes again －また言い過ぎ－

The title of today’s blog is taken from a song written by 1980s British band The Smiths, who were fronted by gloomy vocalist Morrissey.  If you are not familiar with his lyrics, then you can get an idea of just how gloomy he is from some of their song titles.  “Girlfriend in a coma”, “Heaven knows I’m miserable now” and “Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me” spring to mind. 

Still, they were a great band, and are my wife’s favourite band.  She wondered what “Bigmouth” meant, so let’s look at some English phrases involving the mouth.  All of these expressions are casual or slang expressions, but are not specific to one country. 

1 – “Bigmouth”

It is not so common to use “bigmouth” as one word.  But the Smiths’ song uses it in “Bigmouth strikes again”.  A bigmouth is a person who says things that they should not, like revealing other people’s secrets.  In the song “Bigmouth strikes again”, the singer makes violent threats against his lover, which he soon regrets.  He sings “Sweetness, I was only joking when I said I’d like to smash every tooth in your head.”  Morrissey is definitely a bigmouth!

2 – “Big mouth”

It is more common to make a sentence using “big mouth” as two words.  People say “Why did he open his big mouth?” or “Me and my big mouth!” to express regret for something that has been said which shouldn’t have been said.  This is used in reference to secrets or gossip, rather than boasting.

For example, everyone at the office is planning a surprise party for their colleague, John.  It is supposed to be kept a secret from John.  But you ask him, “Are you looking forward to the party?  Oh, no!  Me and my big mouth!  I wasn’t supposed to tell you.”

 

3 – A loudmouth

This is a more common expression in English than “bigmouth”.  A loudmouth is usually used to describe a braggart, someone who boasts a lot.  For example, at a party, David tells everyone how much money he has and how expensive his car is.  After the party, you complain, “David is such a loudmouth.”

The boxer Mohammed Ali was sometimes described as a loudmouth because he always boasted, “I am the greatest.”

 

4 – “Wash your mouth out with soap!”

This is a phrase sometimes used by parents to scold their children when they say something inappropriate or use swear words that they shouldn’t be using.  For example, a teenager complains, “This homework is f***ing impossible!”  His mother immediately says, “Wash your mouth out with soap!  Where did you learn to use that kind of language?”

Other vocabulary used in this article:

to be gloomy – To be dark.  About a person, to be depressed, sad, pessimistic etc.

a coma – A state of deep unconsciousness, caused by severe injury or illness.  For example, “He has been in a coma since the car accident.”

to spring to mind – To jump immediately into your thoughts

to boast – To talk with excessive pride and satisfaction about yourself, achievements etc.