Put a sock in it!
Shut up and be quiet!
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Mr Carrigan added: "I then turned away, Mr Whitelaw was behind me, I don't know what he was up to. I told Mr Lennon to PUT A SOCK IN IT and I then saw him walking brazenly towards me."
(BBC News)
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Top Republican leaders are privately warning members to PUT A SOCK IN IT when it comes to silly calls for impeachment or over-the-top comparisons to Watergate.
(www.politicalwire.com)
(BBC News)
---
Top Republican leaders are privately warning members to PUT A SOCK IN IT when it comes to silly calls for impeachment or over-the-top comparisons to Watergate.
(www.politicalwire.com)
Did you
know?
put a sock in it
idiom
- used to tell someone to be quiet or stop making so much noise
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
One of the many etymological myths involves the expression "put a sock in it." As the story goes, this phrase stems from the days of the gramophone (or phonograph as they were also called), those delightful record players from the late 19th century that played the sound through a horn.
Since the earlier versions had no volume control, some people would stuff material, like a sock, into the horn to muffle the sound. This story makes for great pub conversation, but there is no evidence that the gramophone is the origin of the expression "put a sock in it."
The more likely origin is simply the image of stuffing a sock in someone's mouth to make them be quiet. Evidence points to the British and Australian military during World War I as the real source, which would not be surprising given that soldiers have colourful ways of expressing themselves. Like with most languages, English boasts lots of options if you have the need or desire to tell someone to shut up or be quiet. We left out the more vulgar or provocative ones:
- put a cork in it! (for wine lovers)
- pipe down!
- be quiet!
- keep it down!
- zip your lip!
- shut your face!
- shut your pie hole!
- shut your trap!
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"The man next to me talked on his mobile phone the entire train ride. I felt like telling him to put a sock in it!"
idiom
- used to tell someone to be quiet or stop making so much noise
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
One of the many etymological myths involves the expression "put a sock in it." As the story goes, this phrase stems from the days of the gramophone (or phonograph as they were also called), those delightful record players from the late 19th century that played the sound through a horn.
Since the earlier versions had no volume control, some people would stuff material, like a sock, into the horn to muffle the sound. This story makes for great pub conversation, but there is no evidence that the gramophone is the origin of the expression "put a sock in it."
The more likely origin is simply the image of stuffing a sock in someone's mouth to make them be quiet. Evidence points to the British and Australian military during World War I as the real source, which would not be surprising given that soldiers have colourful ways of expressing themselves. Like with most languages, English boasts lots of options if you have the need or desire to tell someone to shut up or be quiet. We left out the more vulgar or provocative ones:
- put a cork in it! (for wine lovers)
- pipe down!
- be quiet!
- keep it down!
- zip your lip!
- shut your face!
- shut your pie hole!
- shut your trap!
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"The man next to me talked on his mobile phone the entire train ride. I felt like telling him to put a sock in it!"
