suck a lemon
To be in a sour or negative mood.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He looks like he is sucking a lemon today.”
“She has been sucking a lemon all morning, so it is best to leave her alone.”
“Despite the festive atmosphere of the celebration, he stood in the corner sucking a lemon, clearly unimpressed by the joy surrounding him.”
The phrase derives from the involuntary facial contraction, or grimace, typically produced by the tartness of a lemon's citric acid.
- 01
do me a lemon
Expresses disbelief.
- 02
lemon law
A law dealing with defective items, especially automobiles, and the rights of consumers.
- 03
suck a big one
To be terrible; to be of a very low standard.
- 04
suck and blow
To perform two incompatible actions; to hold views which are in contradiction.
- 05
suck donkey balls
To be terrible, of extremely poor quality.
- 06
suck down
To drink (or, more rarely, eat) all of something quickly.
- 07
suck dry
To exhaust all the resources of someone or something.
- 08
suck face
To kiss, especially deeply and for a prolonged time.
Last updated August 10, 2026