Home › Glossary › Letter P

Put a sock in it

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A blunt command to be quiet or stop speaking; crude but effective expression demanding silence, suggesting forceful interruption of unwanted noise or conversation.

Detailed Definition
Put a sock in it means be quiet, stop talking, or cease making noise. It is blunt, comic, and informal, often carrying irritation rather than polite request. In poetry, the idiom can enliven dialogue, quarrel, family scenes, or comic dramatic monologue. Its physical image of stuffing sound with a sock makes silence feel absurdly material. A poet may use it to reveal impatience, social friction, or the desire to suppress a voice. It is useful for exploring noise, authority, and silencing.
Example
Example in poetry:
Quiet: "Put a sock in it when gossip serves no helpful purpose."; Direct: "The elder told noisy youth to put a sock in it respectfully."; Example: "Delivers blunt commands in dialogue poems."; "Put a sock in it during the ceremony."
Additional Notes
Demand silence, delivers bluntness in dialogue or authority poems. Usage tip: Add directness. Slang for quiet. Use in realistic dialogue. Contrasts with politeness. Enhances conflict.
Also Known As
Put a lid on it Zip it Button it Pipe down Shut up
Skip to main content