🤐 Hold One’s Tongue: The Art of Saying Nothing
Hold one’s tongue - To refrain from speaking or replying. The term appears in Miles Coverdale’s translation of the Gospel of Matthew (26:63), “Jesus helde his tonge,” but had been used earlier by Chaucer (“Thee is bettre holde thy tonge stille, than for to speke,” Tale of Melibeus, ca. 1387). It later appeared in John Ray’s 1670 collection of proverbs and remains current.
🎉 Fun Synonyms:
- Bite one’s tongue: An almost painful act of restraint.
- Button one’s lip: It’s like closing your mouth with a tiny button!
- Keep mum: Short, sweet, and silent.
- Zip it: Sound advice with a zippy flair.
🗣️ Opposites:
- Spill the beans: Just toss out all the secrets, why don’t you?
- Let the cat out of the bag: Who put the cat in there anyway?
- Talk a blue streak: Chat mathematically, and endlessly.
- Shoot from the hip: Rapid and uncensored speak.
💡 Inspirational Quotes & Proverbs:
“Say only what you mean, and mean exactly what you say." — Alexandra Adornetto
“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause." — Mark Twain
📚 Suggested Literature, Songs, and Movies:
- The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer - Dive into more Middle English mysteries.
- Silent Movie (1976) by Mel Brooks – because sometimes less dialogue is more fun!
- Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton - a quirky, colorful children’s book where silence is golden.
- Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” - because irony.
🎓 Educational Tidbits:
The concept of holding one’s tongue may seem old-fashioned, but its importance remains timeless. Communication experts often advise using strategic pauses to emphasize points and control conversations—making this idiom practically a sagely wisdom handed down through the ages!
May your days be filled with wisdom and a judicious tongue! Remember, sometimes the most profound conversations begin in silence.
w.published by Lexi Wordsmith, October 2023
