out of the side of one's mouth
- idiom
:
en voz baja
- He whispered out of the side of his mouth so that the others couldn't hear him.
- said out of the side of his mouth
Examples
-
When he caught a reaction to his look, he would look away to the side, with his arms folded, and speak out of the side of his mouth.
Fiction book (1993) -
"How'd you get it, sweetheart?" Jack was talking out of the side of his mouth, trying out a C-minus imitation of W. C. Fields.
Fiction book (1993) -
"She's getting cynical in her old age," Schulz told Audrey out of the side of his mouth.
Fiction book (1993) -
Chaz," he chanted quietly, out of the side of his mouth, sounding like the Penguin in Batman.
Fiction book (1993) -
She spoke out of the side of her mouth when discussing her plans, making sure no one else could listen.
-
During the meeting, he often conveyed his thoughts out of the side of his mouth to avoid drawing attention.
Synonyms
33
5.1
In a careful, quiet way so you do not attract attention or make people feel embarrassed
17
8.3
To do something secretly to avoid being noticed
9
7.8
In a secret way so other people do not know
8
5.7
In a quiet, secret way to avoid being seen
5
6.8
In a way that tries not to be seen or heard
4
8.0
In a secret way to avoid being seen or found
2
4.9
In a secret way so other people do not notice
1
8.6
In secret and quietly so nobody finds out
In a sideways, cautious way to avoid attention
To say something in a very quiet voice so other people cannot hear
Saying words softly to yourself in your mind or under your breath
Antonyms
How Quiet
586
1.0
178
1.0
172
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
out + of + the + side + of + one + mouth
The phrase literally describes producing sound 'out of' the 'side' of one's 'mouth', so a learner who knows those words can plausibly infer a quiet, indirect or discreet manner of speaking. The meaning is a direct, image-based extension of the constituent words (speaking from the side reduces volume and visibility) and this bodily metaphor is common cross-linguistically, making it readily understandable to B1 learners.
Etymology
The phrase out of the side of one's mouth comes from the picture of someone speaking through the side of their mouth so the words are soft and hard to hear. So, it now means 'in a quiet or secret way', often to avoid being noticed.