put a sock in it
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
' Put a sock in it, ' grumbled Perdita.
Edward Pearce's Sketch Some people really should put a sock in it
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “put a sock in it” mean?
Be quiet.
Is “put a sock in it” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.