flannelmouth

• flannel-mouth, flannel mouth

From flannel +‎ mouth.

flannelmouth (plural flannelmouths)

1. (informal, dated) One who speaks in an unclear, muffled, or sluggish manner.
   • 1913, Jack London, chapter 4, in The Valley of the Moon:

     "Oh!—Oh!—Oh!" Bert screamed, with every blow she struck "Hey, old flannel-mouth! Watch out! You'll get yours in a second."

   • 1943 October 8, “Why Give Clues to Your Age?”, in Ottawa Citizen, Canada, retrieved 11 October 2011, page 5:

     [Y]ou may detect your own "elderly" tricks—pushing your shoulders up around your ears, being a mumble-boy or a flannelmouth!

   • 1998 November 30, Jeff Greenfield, “With Respect, You Moron...”, in Time:

     How do they sit there, hour after hour, and listen to the congressional gasbags without blowing their tops? . . . never once leaping over the table, grabbing an inquisitor by his ears and screaming, "Hey, flannel mouth—does the phrase ‘posturing hypocrite windbag’ ring a bell?"

2. (informal, dated) One who speaks in a glib manner with the intent of deceiving or manipulating others.
   • 1947 January 6, George O'Halloran, “Chester the Pup”, in Milwaukee Journal, retrieved 11 October 2011, page 2:

     Uncle Sedgwick, who is considered around and about as somewhat of a flannelmouth, has talked Drizzlepuss into going ice fishing. . . . Uncle can tell you some wonderful fish stories, but, boy, I've never known a guy who's so careless with the truth.

   • 1962 October 11, Hal Boyle, “Joy Gladly Spread”, in Spokane Daily Chronicle, retrieved 11 October 2011, page 4:

     "Flannelmouth Fred"—He spends most of his time going around indiscriminately patting all the other employes on the back and saying "You're doing a grand job." . . . But the rest of the hired hands . . . know that after they finish doing their work, he'll ask them to help do his.

• flannel-mouthed

• “flannelmouth”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.