student asking question

Is this why people Wash out their mouths with soap after swearing? Because they felt their mouth got dirty?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

It's an idiomatic expression, people don't actually wash their mouths out with soap! But yes, swear words are considered to be dirty and crude, so that is where the expression came from. Ex: Go wash your mouth out with soap. No swearing is allowed! Ex: Don't say that, that's a dirty word.

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