zip one's lip
Keep mouth shut
To zip one's lip is to stop talking or keep quiet, as if sealing the mouth shut with a zipper.
The phrase often appears as a command: Zip your lip!
It can also describe maintaining secrecy: She zipped her lip about the surprise party.
A variant is zip it.
Quality of protecting secrets
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- undisclosedNot made known
- classifiedRestricted from disclosure
hush-hush · privy · hidden · veiled · unrevealed · covert · clandestine · off the record
Keep this secret
- hold your tongueRefrain from speaking
- button itCommand to stop talking
- put a sock in itDemand for silence
- keep schtumRemain deliberately quiet
bite your tongue · say nothing · on the qt · hush-hush · shush · silence is golden · keep mum · clam up
Ability to restrain impulses
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- composureEmotional self-control
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
- reserveSupply kept back
prudence · impulse control · self-censorship · holding back · measured speech · caution · guardedness · circumspection
Lacking in sound
- muteWithout voice or sound
- hushAbsence of sound
- speechlessUnable to talk
- wordlessLacking spoken content
voiceless · taciturn · reticent · reserved · uncommunicative · unspoken · not a word · soundless
Stretched or strained state
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
strain · anxiety · apprehension · warning · threat · intimidation · coercion · silencing
confidentiality
Quality of protecting secrets
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- undisclosedNot made known
classified · hush-hush · privy · hidden · veiled · unrevealed · covert · clandestine · off the record · need-to-know
mum's the word
Keep this secret
- hold your tongueRefrain from speaking
- button itCommand to stop talking
- put a sock in itDemand for silence
keep schtum · bite your tongue · say nothing · on the qt · hush-hush · shush · silence is golden · keep mum · clam up
self-control
Ability to restrain impulses
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- composureEmotional self-control
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
reserve · prudence · impulse control · self-censorship · holding back · measured speech · caution · guardedness · circumspection · keeping counsel
quiet
Lacking in sound
- muteWithout voice or sound
- hushAbsence of sound
- speechlessUnable to talk
wordless · voiceless · taciturn · reticent · reserved · uncommunicative · unspoken · not a word · soundless · buttoned-up
tension
Stretched or strained state
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- uneaseMild persistent worry
discomfort · strain · anxiety · apprehension · warning · threat · intimidation · coercion · silencing · suppression
zip one's lipblab
Divulge indiscreetly
blabber · run one's mouth · spill the beans · let the cat out of the bag · speak up
zip one's lipspill the beans
Reveal confidential information
blab · let the cat out of the bag · let slip · leak · tell all
zip, zips, zipped, zipping, zipper, zippers, lip, lips, lipped