Meaning of swallow the dictionary | Babel Free

Definitions

To speak using long or obscure words.

idiomatic, informal

Examples

“I swear⟳, I don't know⟳ where you get⟳ all this swallowing the dictionary business!” - He himself never read⟳ anything but the ticker and the sporting news.”

“Knowledge is deposited in (virtual and real) libraries. People who “swallow⟳” the dictionary are articulate, eloquent and verbally dextrous. They have⟳ a greater store of words. Knowledge is captured in books, which is why the number⟳ of books in a household contains an excellent index of the social class of that house.”

““You swallowed the dictionary?” said Mrs. Black, with an ingratiating smile⟳.”

“When I used a couple of words that an Uncle from the Boston States considered beyond my years, he asked me if I had swallowed the dictionary.”

CEFR level