Etymology Journal ยท P
Put a sock in it
Meaning
- A common, slightly aggressive instruction to stop making noise or to stop talking. It is used when someone is being annoying or disruptive.
Blunt, irritable
Used in a sentence
- I am trying to read a book, so please put a sock in it.
- Stop yelling at the TV and put a sock in it, please.
- If he doesn't put a sock in it, I am going to leave the room.
The backstory
This stems from the early days of the gramophone. When the music was too loud, people would literally stuff a sock into the horn of the machine to muffle the sound.
Heard in
Nationwide
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