plum in one's mouth

English

Noun

plum in one's mouth

1. An accent resembling Received Pronunciation (often described as plummy).
   • 1872, The Journal of Mental Science‎^[1], volume 17, page 12:

     Pulse 108, appetite good, bowels regular, utterance thick and indistinct, speaks as if he had a plum in his mouth, walks with his legs wide apart, does not stagger, not dirty, has control over sphincters.

   • 1901, The Medical News‎^[2], volume 79, page 833:

     The fact is that King Edward has all his life spoken as if he had a plum in his mouth. Like all his family he speaks with a thick guttural voice and a German accent, which people who wish to be thought fashionable try to imitate

   • 1991, Brizbin Boy—Canberra Girl: Short Stories‎^[3], page 31:

     Georgy, "Jersey" to his masculine mates, liked Elizabeth, even though she spoke with that incredible plum in her mouth that made her sound like the Queen of England, though sometimes it was the Queen in her most private of moments:

   • 1995, Bary Dowling, Mudeye: An Australian Boyhood and Beyond, page 89:

     ‘That's not his real name. His real name is William Joyce.’
     ‘But why is he called Lord Haw Haw?’
     Lorrie is embarrassed, and Dick answers.
     ‘It's because of the way he speaks, with a plum in his mouth, like some of the English do, hawhawhaw. You know?’

   • 2007, Emily Franklin, It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties‎^[4]:

     I wanted to fit in with the posh, horsey girls, all honey-blond hair and plums in their mouths, fresh from boarding school.

   • 2011, James Edmiston, The Sterling Years: Small Arms and the Men‎^[5], page 105:

     Both of them spoke with British aristocratic plums in their mouths. 'My dear fellow! How very kind of you to come and pay us a visit!'

   • 2018 March 10, Audrey Young, “Amy Adams was the right choice but she has plenty of homework to do”, in New Zealand Herald:

     She talks at a crisp clip with a slight plum in her mouth that she almost certainly didn't pick up at Rangitoto College.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see plum,‎ in,‎ mouth.

Further reading

• “a plum in your mouth”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “a plum in your mouth”, in Collins English Dictionary.