bad-mouth

American  

[bad-mouth, -mouth] / ˈbædˌmaʊθ, -ˌmaʊð /

Or badmouth

verb (used with object)

bad-mouthed, bad-mouthing

1. Slang. to speak critically and often disloyally of; disparage.

   Why do you bad-mouth your family so much?

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bad-mouth British  

verb

1. slang (tr) to speak unfavourably about

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bad mouth Idioms  

1. Disparage or criticize unduly, malign, as in Why do you constantly bad mouth your colleagues? This term is believed to be of African origin, where the phrase bad mouth signifies a curse or evil spell. [1930s]

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Other Word Forms

• bad-mouther noun

Etymology

Origin of bad-mouth

1935–40; originally a curse, spell (the sense recorded in Gullah); compare Vai (Mande language of Liberia and Sierra Leone) dà nyà mà curse, literally, bad mouth