Keep your tongue within your teeth.
Keep your tongue within your teeth.
Editorial context: Restraint in speech does not mean keeping harm secret. Seeking help, reporting problems and expressing disagreement can be necessary.
Meaning in plain English
Hold back words that would be better left unsaid. The image of keeping the tongue behind the teeth encourages restraint in speaking, rather than requiring silence about a genuine concern or something that needs to be reported.
Example
A committee member pauses before repeating a rumour about an absent colleague, then asks for verified information relevant to the decision instead.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The tongue stands for speech, and the teeth form an imagined boundary that keeps it from escaping too readily. The saying can address an impulsive remark, an unnecessary insult or information that a person has no permission to share. Its practical force is a pause: consider the purpose, timing and effect of the words before speaking. That does not make silence the right response to every difficulty. Asking a question, seeking help or naming unfair treatment may be necessary even when the conversation is uncomfortable. Restraint means choosing words responsibly, not allowing another person to forbid all disagreement or conceal a problem that matters.
When to use it
Use it when encouraging a pause before impulsive, hurtful or indiscreet speech.
Keep in mind
This is not a reason to silence disagreement, discourage seeking help or prevent reporting harm.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1635 · Tongue
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗