tight lips

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

tight lips pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) Of a person, silence or reticence.
   • 1921, Rafael Sabatini, chapter II, in Scaramouche:

     After M. de Kercadiou came M. de Vilmorin, very pale and self-contained, with tight lips and an overcast brow.

Related terms

• tight-lipped