mouthful of marbles
Indistinct, slurred articulation
A mouthful of marbles describes speech that is slurred, garbled, or difficult to understand—as if the speaker's mouth were literally full of marbles: He mumbles like he's got a mouthful of marbles.
The phrase typically criticizes unclear enunciation rather than accents or speech impediments.
- fullMaximum extent reached
- swallowSend down the throat
- garblingCorrupting transmitted information
- speech impedimentDifficulty producing clear sounds
- speakingOral expression of language
enunciate · tongue-tied · thick accent · dysarthria · mumbling · communication · chew · chewing gum · mispronunciation · expression · incoherence · clear as mud · lost in translation · tongue-twister · utterance · speech · gibberish · phonetics
mouthful of marblescrystal clear
Entirely unambiguous, perfectly understood
clear as a bell · articulate · intelligible · distinct · lucid
mouthful of marblesBBC English
Standard British broadcast accent
silver-tongued · well-spoken · mellifluous · eloquent · dulcet tones
mouth, mouthful, mouths, mouthed, mouthing, mouthy, marble, marbles, marbled