English

Alternative forms

• flannel-mouth, flannel mouth

Noun

flannelmouth ‎(plural flannelmouths)

1. (informal, dated) One who speaks in an unclear, muffled, or sluggish manner.
   • 1913, Jack London, The Valley of the Moon, ch. 4:

     "Oh!—Oh!—Oh!" Bert screamed, with every blow she struck "Hey, old flannel-mouth! Watch out! You'll get yours in a second."

   • 1943 Oct 8, "Why Give Clues to Your Age?," Ottawa Citizen (Canada), p. 5, (retrieved 11 Oct 2011):

     [Y]ou may detect your own "elderly" tricks—pushing your shoulders up around your ears, being a mumble-boy or a flannelmouth!

   • 1998 Nov. 30, Jeff Greenfield, "With Respect, You Moron...," Time:

     How do they sit there, hour after hour, and listen to the congressional gasbags without blowing their tops? . . . never once leaping over the table, grabbing an inquisitor by his ears and screaming, "Hey, flannel mouth—does the phrase ‘posturing hypocrite windbag’ ring a bell?"

2. (informal, dated) One who speaks in a glib manner with the intent of deceiving or manipulating others.
   • 1947 Jan. 6, George O'Halloran, "Chester the Pup," Milwaukee Journal, p. 2 (retrieved 11 Oct 2011):

     Uncle Sedgwick, who is considered around and about as somewhat of a flannelmouth, has talked Drizzlepuss into going ice fishing. . . . Uncle can tell you some wonderful fish stories, but, boy, I've never known a guy who's so careless with the truth.

   • 1962 Oct. 11, Hal Boyle, "Joy Gladly Spread," Spokane Daily Chronicle, p. 4 (retrieved 11 Oct 2011):

     "Flannelmouth Fred"—He spends most of his time going around indiscriminately patting all the other employes on the back and saying "You're doing a grand job." . . . But the rest of the hired hands . . . know that after they finish doing their work, he'll ask them to help do his.

Derived terms

• flannel-mouthed

References

• flannelmouth at OneLook Dictionary Search