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speak out of both sides of one’s mouth

to be inconsistent or dishonest in what one says about the same subject or matter, depending on the audience or the circumstance

Etymology:

  • Though the origin is unclear, it is possible this idiom was influenced by the ancient idea that the right side of anything is good and the left is evil, implying duplicitousness in that, one is speaking both good and ill on a given concept or viewpoint.
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The manager was likely speaking out of both sides of her mouth, to some us, when when she introduced the prospect of salary raises because, it seems now, that was never in the cards.

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Submitted by JokerGem on September 27, 2023

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to speak out of both sides of one’s mouth

speak for oneselfspell outspeak forspeak now or forever hold your peacespeak one's mindspeak outspeak of the devil and he appearsspeak for oneselfspeak too soonspeak forspeak another vesselspill one's seedspeak in circlesspeak someone's language

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    "speak out of both sides of one’s mouth." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/speak-out-of-both-sides-of-ones-mouth_63927>.

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