The phraseology “swallow language” has two meanings. Both of us will review today. There will, of course, be synonyms and interpretation.
Silence is a sign of confusion
There is a famous phrase “silence is a sign of consent”, and so, this is not always true. Sometimes a person is taken by surprise, and he really does not know what to say. As an official in the novel “The Master and Margarita,” who was publicly convicted of treason to his wife. It’s as if he swallowed his tongue. In general, there are not many people in the world who could immediately, having saved their face, find an explanation for irrefutable evidence. This is all the more difficult when the devil is playing against you.
But there are as many such cases as you like even in everyday life. When, for example, a person avoids meeting with someone, and that person deliberately comes across him. And he who does not want to speak swallows his tongue due to circumstances. And what else remains for him? Awkwardness increases when an undesirable person greets you, and then you need to answer, and the addressee greets squeezes out a timid "hello." In such cases, you need to be able to quickly rebuild, but not everyone can boast of such an ability.
So, once again, the first meaning of phraseology “swallow language” comes down to fixing awkward silence between people.
When did the dish succeed?
There is such a famous dinner saying as "when I eat, I am deaf and dumb." Strict parents (and not only them) believe that in the process of eating food it is better not to speak, otherwise there may be troubles. But sometimes the silence of the guests is not just a tribute to tradition, but an objective indicator: they really liked the dish, there is no time in order to maintain a conversation, you need to eat.
By the way, regarding the silence at dinner, here, too, data differ. Kant, for example, believed that a pleasant conversation improves digestion, and even a modern person prefers to eat in company, rather than alone. And the good food is absolutely nothing to do with it.
So, if you decipher the second meaning of the saying, then it comes down to praising the hostess (and maybe the owner) for well-prepared food.
Synonyms
When it comes to the semantic content of an expression that fits in only one word, you can offer the reader analogues. There will be two lists, according to the number of possible interpretations. The replacements for awkward silence are as follows:
- dumbfounded;
- to freeze;
- to be silent;
- numb.
Other substitutions already imply a larger number of words, so let us dwell on these.
With the culinary sense of the proverb, it’s easier, because the last positive:
- delicious;
- amazing
- magically;
- the merger.
Yes, simplicity in this case does not mean abundance. We hope that we managed to convey the meaning of phraseology “swallow language” in one word.