proverb · Words worth keeping
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures a closed mouth avoiding a foot. Its bodily joke suggests that refraining from speaking can prevent a verbal blunder.
What the words are saying
The impossible gathering image turns embarrassment into something entering the mouth. A useful application can encourage a pause before an unnecessary remark. It does not guarantee that silence avoids all mistakes or make withholding a needed response wise. The joke concerns speech, not literal anatomy.
Everyday example
Someone checks a doubtful claim before adding it to a conversation and later responds with clearer information.
When to use it
Use it to discuss pausing before a possible verbal blunder.
What it does not mean
Silence can also be unhelpful; no literal bodily claim is intended.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 80; PDF page 16
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.