swallow one's words

English

Verb

swallow one's words (third-person singular simple present swallows one's words, present participle swallowing one's words, simple past and past participle swallowed one's words)

1. To be forced to retract a prior statement after it has been shown to be disproven; to take back what one has said.
2. To speak at a low volume due to uncertainty about one's speech; to mumble.

Translations

to be forced to retract a prior statement

• Italian: rimangiarsi quel che s'è detto

to mumble

• Italian: mangiarsi le parole

Further reading

• “swallow one's words”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “swallow one's words”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “swallow one's words”, in Collins English Dictionary.