"sucking one's teeth"

[asher63]

Can anyone explain what gesture is meant by this phrase (American, poss. African-American, English) and what it connotes? Toni Morrison uses it all the time and it's driving me nuts. Example: "Frieda sucked her teeth and made a phttt sound with her lips

Comments

[lilacsigil]

It might mean something different in African-American English, but to me it's an expression of disapproval or shocked disapproval and you would expect someone who did that to scold you. It's something that older people would do, especially women, and especially more conservative women.

[jazzcatgirl]

It's essentially a tsk tsk. When your mouth is closed fully, tongue on the roof of your mouth, just touching the back of your teeth. And in one motion, you can either a) open your mouth a bit while sucking in a small bit of air and moving your tongue down with your lower jaw to get that sharp sucking sound, or b) keep your teeth together and open your lips as you pull your tongue backwards, almost toward your throat. Either way, you get that sound. You do that when you don't believe something someone says to you. Like a "why the fuck you lyin" song in one facial expression/sound.

[asher63]

Thank you! That is very helpful.

[eavanmoore]

Thank you! I've wondered this for years. I think I do make that noise, I just thought of it as a tsk and not as sucking my teeth.

No Comments

[dopen]

Maybe the teeth sucker isn't getting a comment. If the intuitive nudge is telling you to write in a journal, it really is best for the health of the enamel to do pen a comment.

[skellywag]

The only time I've seen this phrase in more modern media, it was an episode of Archer, and used in reference to a fairly flamboyant homosexual man. But it meant essentially the same thing the first two commenters said. Extreme disapproval.

[yiskah]

It's still quite common in parts of Africa. A south Sudanese friend was recently bemoaning the lack of a teeth-suck emoji.