Talk:wash one's mouth out

derivation from mishearing of watch one's mouth
I am going to re-work this entry. I think it's possible that some people are mishearing watch your mouth as wash your mouth, especially since they might grow up hearing both phrases directed at them (even if by different people). However that would not explain the extended form, wash one's mouth out, which would need to derive from a mishearing of *watch your mouth out. It's much more likely that this phrase is referring to what we for lack of a shorter term call mouthsoaping.

The shorter phrases could arise through repeated usage. An angry parent might say "wash your mouth out with soap!" the first time, and if the child misbehaves again they know what the punishment is even if the parent just says "wash your mouth out!" or even "wash your mouth!" — Soap — 11:31, 22 January 2023 (UTC)


 * However, you have now defined it as a noun, not as a verb. I think the entry was clearer before your changes. Jberkel 07:22, 24 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Okay, thanks. I changed it, but I'm still not happy with definition 2 (and I wasn't before, either). It's so context-dependent that it's almost meaningless, and can be used whether the person actually said something deserving of punishment or not. Hence, very difficult to pin down.  I'm even tempted to just remove defn 2 and add often used metaphorically to defn 1, but I will think some more before I make edits, and I welcome other people's advice and help. — Soap — 12:15, 25 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Was this really a literal punishment? Sounds barbaric. Sense 1 doesn't match the lemma, it should be "wash someone's mouth out" as it currently stands. Why do you want to remove def 2? It's the more interesting one, since it's non-obvious and idiomatic. The information about punishment etc. could also go into the etymology section. – Jberkel 12:31, 25 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with you on the one/someone distinction, but I suspect it's come up before and that we never came to a consensus on how to handle it. I remember posting on a talk page somewhere asking if a certain page should be moved, but I cant find that now.   That said, if we do decide to make the one/someone distinction in idioms like this, this  particular one would need to be split into two separate pages, since the childhood punishment is typically administered by a parent, and the metaphorical sense aimed at adults is assumed to be reflexive.
 * Definition 2 seems almost meaningless, as the expression can be used in almost any circumstance whether the person has said something deserving of punishment or not.  I dont know how else to explain  it.  But if you think it's fine the way it is, I'll let it be for now and try to think of better wording.
 * Yes, this is a real childhood punishment, ... Im sure parents are still doing it. I'm honestly surprised that people seem to be confusing wash your mouth and watch your mouth, but I explained my reasoning above for how that might be happening. — Soap — 22:19, 25 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I suggest moving the discussion to the tea room or similar to get some more input. – Jberkel 10:45, 26 January 2023 (UTC)