put a civil tongue in one's mouth

A form of keep a civil tongue in one's head — To maintain a polite manner of speaking.

Meanings

verbput a civil tongue in one's mouth (third-person singular simple present puts a civil tongue in one's mouth, present participle putting a civil tongue in one's mouth, simple past and past participle put a civil tongue in one's mouth)

present singular third person puts a civil tongue in one's mouth · participle present putting a civil tongue in one's mouth

  1. alternativeAlternative form of keep a civil tongue in one's head.
Cite this entry
APA

put a civil tongue in one's mouth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20a%20civil%20tongue%20in%20one's%20mouth

MLA

“put a civil tongue in one's mouth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20a%20civil%20tongue%20in%20one's%20mouth. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put a civil tongue in one's mouth,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20a%20civil%20tongue%20in%20one's%20mouth.

Source: put a civil tongue in one's mouth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.