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Glite Dictionary
bad taste in someone's mouth

bad taste in someone's mouth

3 6.7
An unpleasant feeling of dislike after an experience
  • idiom
translation icon : mal sabor de boca
  • After the rude comments during the meeting, I left with a bad taste in my mouth.
  • left a bad taste in my mouth

Examples

  • "I couldn't explain it to you at the time, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

    Blog text (28)

  • The last time I saw the Braves here, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

    Blog text (23)

  • I suddenly have a bad taste in my mouth.

    The Associate (1996)

  • The whole conversation left a bad taste in my mouth.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Everything that you have written has left a bad taste in my mouth.

    Blog text (28)

  • This argument is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

    Tim Kochis: Purple Heart (2013)

  • Johnston says the experience had left a bad taste in his mouth.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Jezebel was leaving such a bad taste in my mouth today, and you put into words what I had been thinking.

    Blog text (3)

  • I don't know, Dennis, this stuff leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

    Heathers (1988)

  • There were times when Sally's doings left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

bad taste
vsbad taste in someone's mouth
21 4.1

An unpleasant feeling that stays after something rude or upsetting

is a general feeling of disapproval after an experience
revulsion
vsbad taste in someone's mouth
18 6.3

A strong feeling of disgust at something very unpleasant

is milder and more like disapproval than extreme disgust
unpleasantness
vsbad taste in someone's mouth
17 4.2

A feeling of discomfort or dislike

is the specific unpleasant reaction felt after one interaction
repulsion
vsbad taste in someone's mouth
3 6.2

A strong feeling of dislike and disgust

is milder, a disapproving feeling rather than intense disgust

Antonyms

pleasantness
2 3.4

A feeling that something is nice and enjoyable

How Distasteful

outrage
152 3.7
bad taste in someone's mouth
3 6.7
disapproval
45 3.0

Surface Forms

bad taste in someone's mouth singular
bad tastes in someone's mouth plural

Morphology

bad + taste + in + someone's + mouth

The phrase is a conventional metaphor: 'bad' + 'taste' + 'in someone's mouth' maps a literal unpleasant flavor onto a lingering negative feeling or disapproval. While the negative sense is partially inferable from the constituents, the specific idiomatic sense of a lasting unfavorable impression is a figurative extension that a B1 learner may not fully predict without exposure (though many languages use a similar metaphor, which can help comprehension).

Etymology

Bad taste in someone's mouth comes from the simple image of eating something bitter or rotten so the bad taste stays in your mouth, leaving a lasting unpleasant feeling. That's why we use it to say someone has a lasting 'feeling of dislike' or 'disapproval' after an event.