Mealy-mouthed is an old phrase meaning someone’s vague, equivocal or beats around the bush. Even Martin Luther used a German version of the insult, “Mehl im Maule Behalten.” Luther, in fact, was quite experienced at tossing out creative jabs, and thanks to the internet, you can experience some of them yourself with this Lutheran insult generator. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Mealy-Mouthed”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello, this is Mary Bronigal from Tallahassee, Florida.
Hi, Mary. Welcome to the program.
Hey, Mary. Welcome.
Hi.
What’s going on?
I was wondering about the expression, mealy-mouthed. My dad used to use it, and I didn’t know what it meant, but I got the impression that it was not a good thing, like it was bad. It was not a compliment. And I was just trying to find, I was writing some memoirs, and I was just wondering if you knew anything more about that word.
Yeah, sure. What kind of context would he use it in?
He’d say, well, that person is a mealy-mouthed bastard.
Oh, okay. All right.
Pretty graphic, yeah.
So what do you picture when he said mealy-mouthed?
Well, I think of bugs coming out, like mealworms coming out of your mouth.
Oh, wow.
Boy, that’s quite an image there. I was thinking maybe you were picturing a meal like breakfast or dinner, but it’s not that kind of meal. I mean, you’re sort of on the right track in that it has to do with the kind of meal that’s finely ground grain, you know, cornmeal or flour. And the image here is of somebody whose mouth is really full of that kind of meal and trying to talk around it. And it basically means to be vague or equivocal or roundabout or kind of beating around the bush. Or like your father was suggesting that they’re not trustworthy. And the idea is that you have a mouthful of meal and you’re trying to talk around it. And it’s a really, really old expression. It wasn’t just your dad. In fact, there’s a German expression that was used by Martin Luther centuries ago. That’s the same thing.
What was it in German?
What is it, Grant?
It’s Meil im…
Meil im Maul behalten.
Yeah.
Something like that.
Oh.
Yeah, but it’s literally holding meal in your mouth.
Well, that’s not quite as dramatic as I thought.
No, it’d be different if there were writhing mealworms in there, that’s for sure.
Yeah, thanks for that image, Mary. It’s more horrifying.
Okay, well, thank you all. That’s very informative. Thank you very much.
Sure thing.
It’s our pleasure.
Take care, Mary.
All righty.
Bye-bye.
All righty.
Bye-bye.
You know, Martin Luther was full of terrible insults. In fact, you can go to a website called ergofabulous.org, and it has something called the Lutheran Insulter.
Oh, no.
And you can sort of randomly get yourself insulted by Martin Luther. I have some examples from his writing.
All right.
I haven’t been insulted yet today.
Grant, your sin smells to high heaven.
To high heaven, yeah.
I like this one. You know less than does a log on the ground. You are a bungling magpie croaking loudly. And I like this one, too, from Martin Luther. My soul, like Ezekiel’s, is nauseated at eating your bread covered in human dung.
Oh, gross.
I’m sure it’s better in the original German. But that’s a bunch of insults by Martin Luther that you can find at ergofabulous.org. The log one reminds me of one of my favorite insults, which is you are as dumb as a stump.
Yeah, I’ve heard that many times.
About other people.
About other people.
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