mouth·ful

[mouth-fool]
noun, plural mouth·fuls.
1.
the amount a mouth can hold.
2.
the amount taken into the mouth at one time.
3.
a small quantity.
4.
Informal. a spoken remark of great truth, relevance, effectiveness, etc.: You said a mouthful!
5.
a long word or group of words, especially one that is hard to pronounce.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English. See mouth, -ful

Usage note
See -ful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Mouthful is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
mouthful (ˈmaʊθˌfʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl -fuls
1.  as much as is held in the mouth at one time
2.  a small quantity, as of food
3.  a long word or phrase that is difficult to say
4.  informal (Brit) an abusive response
5.  informal chiefly (US), (Canadian) an impressive remark (esp in the phrase say a mouthful)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mouthful
"a lot to say," 1748, from mouth + -ful.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

mouthful definition


  1. n.
    a true statement. : You said a mouthful, and I agree.
  2. n.
    a tirade. : Paul really gave me a mouthful. I didn't know I hurt his feelings.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

mouthful

see say a mouthful.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
When your opponent fights with a mouthful of razor-sharp daggers, it pays to
  give them something to aim for that isn't your head.
Scientific names are often a mouthful, but each has a meaning.
It's a mouthful, figuratively, and yet still that is remarkably simplified from
  the actual processes that take place.
The predator may have a mouthful of tail, but the main meal-the gecko-is safe.
Idioms & Phrases
say a mouthful
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