to bitch and moan
- phrasal verb
- /bɪtʃ ənd moʊn/
- NSFW
- A big-time screwup on my part, but it's too late to bitch and moan about it now.
- bitch and moan all you want
Examples
-
It's unproductive to bitch and moan about something being broken and then not even attempt to find a way to fix it.
Blog text (13) -
Whenever I do my own stuff, you guys bitch and moan.
-
I bitch and moan about it.
-
You will bitch and moan about how much more it costs!
Blog text (21) -
Oh well, at least I voted so I can bitch and moan about things again for the next 4 years!
Blog text (28) -
And then they bitch and moan that capital punishment costs too much and takes too long.
Blog text (11) -
We bitch and moan all the time about how that sucks for us as fans.
Blog text (31) -
You bitch and moan because things don't go your way.
-
Everyone here is bitching and moaning, but no one has any ideas.
Blog text (8) -
I always seem to bitch and moan when the weather doesn't go my way.
Synonyms
To say you are unhappy about something and want it changed
To complain a lot in an annoying way
To complain in a high, annoying voice
To make a low, long sound to show pain, discomfort, or displeasure
To complain quietly in a low voice
To complain repeatedly about small things
To keep complaining about something in a way that annoys people
Talk again and again about the same thing and annoy people
Talk loudly for a long time while complaining
Shout angrily and complain for a long time
To complain quietly about something you do not like
To complain in an annoying way about small things
To complain a lot about small things and annoy others
To complain often about small things
Make a low sound or complain to show you are annoyed at something
To complain a lot in an annoying way
To complain in a small, repeated way
To complain in a sulky, childish way about small things
Make a loud, rough sound like a shout to show anger or complaint
To complain in a quiet, old-fashioned way
To complain quietly because you are unhappy
Antonyms
How Complaining
- Informal
- NSFW
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituent verbs — 'bitch' (to complain) and 'moan' (to express complaint/distress) — directly convey the idea of complaining, and joining them with 'and' simply reinforces/intensifies that meaning. A B1 learner who knows the words would readily infer the combined meaning 'complain persistently or annoyingly'; the expression is compositional despite its informal/vulgar register.
Etymology
The verb bitch and moan joins two strong words: bitch (to complain sharply) and moan (to make a low, sad sound). Imagine someone who keeps making angry complaints and soft groans; they never stop, so the phrase means 'to complain' in an annoying, persistent way.