Idiom
bad taste in one's mouth
Meaning
A feeling that something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The unfair decision left a bad taste in my mouth.”
“The way he treats his assistants leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Lying to your best friend usually leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”
“When the company fired him without warning, it left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.”
“Watching the neighbors argue about money in front of their young children left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the evening.”
“Although the store offered me a refund, the rude way the manager spoke to me still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“The politician's hollow apology, delivered only after public pressure, left a bad taste in the voters' mouths and damaged his credibility beyond repair.”
Examples
simple
“The unfair decision left a bad taste in my mouth.”
“The way he treats his assistants leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Lying to your best friend usually leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”
contextual
“When the company fired him without warning, it left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.”
“Watching the neighbors argue about money in front of their young children left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the evening.”
“Although the store offered me a refund, the rude way the manager spoke to me still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
complex
“The politician's hollow apology, delivered only after public pressure, left a bad taste in the voters' mouths and damaged his credibility beyond repair.”
Origin
The phrase derives from the literal sensation of nausea or the lingering aftereffects of physical illness. It entered the lexicon as a figurative expression by drawing a direct parallel between the physiological discomfort of a foul palate and a sense of moral or aesthetic dissatisfaction.
Key words
Related idioms
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