Meaning & use
stick a sock in it
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalBritish
A rude, direct way of telling someone to stop talking or making noise.
Grammar: Used as a complete order on its own; you usually do not add an object after it.
Patterns
- stick a sock in it
Stick a sock in it, will you? I'm trying to concentrate.
He told his little brother to stick a sock in it during the film.
If you don't stick a sock in it, the teacher will send you out.
Common combinations
- tell someone to stick a sock in it
- She told the noisy group to stick a sock in it.
- stick a sock in it!
- Stick a sock in it! I can't hear myself think.
- if you don't stick a sock in it
- If you don't stick a sock in it, we'll both get in trouble.
- just stick a sock in it
- Just stick a sock in it and let me finish.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shut up
- Also a rude order to be quiet, but it is more direct and more common in American English.
- be quiet
- A neutral, polite way to ask for silence; 'stick a sock in it' is much ruder and more aggressive.
- put a lid on it
- Similar informal and rude meaning, but often used for stopping a noise or a situation rather than just talking.
Commonly confused: stick a sock in it or put a sock in it?
stick a sock in it vs put a sock in it
This is a very similar idiom with the same meaning. 'Stick a sock in it' is a slight variation; both are rude and informal.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'stick a sock in it' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is a fixed rude order meaning 'be quiet'. Option B uses it correctly as an exclamation. Option An is too polite for this rude phrase. Options C and D use 'stick' literally with a sock and a place, not as the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stick a sock in it”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.