Meanings
nounmouthful of marbles (plural mouthfuls of marbles)
plural mouthfuls of marbles
- idiomaticAn indistinct, muffled or garbled manner of speaking.
Anticholinergic toxicity results in a characteristic mumbling, as if the patient is trying to quickly recite a haiku with a mouthful of marbles.
2001, Timothy Erickson et al., “Toxicology Update: A Rational Approach to Managing the Poisoned Patient”, in Emergency Medicine Practice, volume 3, number 8, page 5
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 含糊不清
- 含糊不清 (hánhu bùqīng)An indistinct, muffled or garbled manner of speaking
Finnish peruna suussa
- peruna suussaAn indistinct, muffled or garbled manner of speaking
Russian ка́ша во рту
- ка́ша во рту (káša vo rtu)An indistinct, muffled or garbled manner of speaking
Cite this entry
APA
mouthful of marbles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mouthful%20of%20marbles
MLA
“mouthful of marbles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mouthful%20of%20marbles. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mouthful of marbles,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mouthful%20of%20marbles.
Source: mouthful of marbles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.