down in the mouth
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Out of spirits; dis- heartened. When persons are very sad and low spirited, the corners of the mouth are drawn down. Down in the jib is a nautical phrase of the same meaning.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “down in the mouth” mean?
Out of spirits; dis- heartened. When persons are very sad and low spirited, the corners of the mouth are drawn down. Down in the jib is a nautical phrase of the same meaning.
Is “down in the mouth” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.