a mouthful
4
7.7
- idiom
- /ə ˈmaʊθfəl/
:
un trabalenguas
- The name of the dish was a real mouthful, making it hard for the waiter to pronounce.
- said a mouthful
- a mouthful of a name
Examples
-
When he introduced himself, I realized his name was a mouthful that I struggled to say.
-
That's quite a mouthful.
-
You just said a mouthful there, sister.
-
I am really giving you a mouthful.
-
Your name is a mouthful.
-
- You said a mouthful.
-
...yes, sir, you said a mouthful, Johnny.
-
I know it's kind of a mouthful, just like HelloFresh.
-
You know, it's a bit of a mouthful, that's all.
-
Well, it's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it?
Synonyms
3
6.0
A phrase that is hard to say quickly because of similar sounds
1
8.8
A word that is very hard to say because it is long or has strange sounds
A long fancy word people use when simple words are enough
Antonyms
- Informal
12
4.0
Quick and pleasant without extra detail, often about a talk or message
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
a + mouthful
The phrase builds on the literal compound 'mouth' + '-ful' (an amount that fills the mouth) and the meaning 'a word or phrase that is long or hard to say' is a natural metaphorical extension of that image. Because the sense requires this figurative mapping rather than strict compositional meaning, it is partially predictable to learners who know the parts but not fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase a mouthful comes from the image of having your mouth full of food, so you cannot speak clearly. So we call a very long or 'hard to say' word a mouthful.