gulp back

gulp back

To try to stop oneself from crying. A noun or pronoun can be used between "gulp" and "back." I didn't want to have to tell my parents what was going on, so I tried to gulp my tears back.
See also: back, gulp
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

gulp something back

Fig. to force or hold back tears, sobs, etc. He gulped his sobs back and clutched at his wound. He gulped back his sobs.
See also: back, gulp
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • identify with
  • orient
  • orient to
  • orient to (something)
  • spiff up
  • spiffed up
  • angle
  • angling
  • ask back
References in periodicals archive
It's not a wine to analyse but to gulp back with those mussels on a sunny day.
Wine with Andy Cronshaw
So when we have our Skype conversation on Christmas Eve, I'll think how marvellous 21st Century life is - but may have to gulp back a tear, too.
How Kiwi Christmas marks end of an era
But he was dared by friends as a crowd gathered to watch him gulp back the vodka.
Neknominate-death man 'six times limit'
At a party near his home in Rumney, Cardiff, that night, a crowd gathered to watch him gulp back the vodka.
'He'd be alive if he wasn't game - neknominate is playing this out of hand'
I gulp back an inappropriate giggle and peek out from underneath a cool flannel to see the masseuse pummelling my body with a water jet.
Refreshed and recharged in Arizona / Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale
AtmosphErE: 4/5 WhilE the mostly middle-class, and slightly middle-aged, locals are a far cry from the usual band of gougers i gulp back Guinness and cheap cans of cider with on a weekend, it was so refreshing to walk into a bar without a single surly sour puss in sight.
Best BAR none; MIRROR MAN RAISES A GLASS TO FAMILY AS IRISH PUB SCOOPS WORLD No1 AWARD
Either breathe on to the screen and let the app work its magic or have a "shake monitor" measure how boisterous you are becoming with the precious toy as you gulp back that sixth pint.
my big iWish; Graham Henry's discovered yoga on his iPhone. It's forced him to ponder how much better life would be if there really were an app for everything ..
Q Give us the Gulp back story - how did it come together?
Doing it for t hemselves; Gulp is the new project from Super Furry Animals' bass player Guto Pryce and singer-songwriter Lindsey Leven. As the duo gear up to play their debut gig this week, Guto tells Dave Owens what we can expect from this resolutely DIY outfit