read my lips
Pay careful attention
Read my lips is an emphatic phrase demanding close attention to what follows, insisting the listener believe or remember it: Read my lips: I am not lending you money again.
The phrase implies the speaker has said this before or expects resistance.
It gained political notoriety from George H.W.
Bush's 1988 campaign pledge Read my lips: no new taxes—a promise he later broke.
- promiseCommitment to act
- campaign promiseCandidate's stated intention
- pledgeBinding promise given
- vowSolemn personal commitment
- broken promiseCommitment not honored
Bush · taxes · campaign · emphasis · watch · listen · speech · mouth · political · sincere · trust · believe · swear · pinky swear · commitment · declaration · serious · lipstick
- Bush 41Barbara Bush, Dan Quayle, Gulf War, Desert Storm, Kennebunkport
- Political Quotesall men are created equal, Gettysburg Address, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, nothing to fear
- Reading Termspage turner, cover to cover, bookworm, fine print, bedtime story
read my lipshint
Indirect suggestion
suggest · imply · between the lines · take it or leave it · just saying
read, reads, reading, reader, readers, readable, readability, unreadable, reread