mouthful of marbles

mouthful of marbles

A phrase used to describe the speech of someone who mumbles when talking. I have such a hard time understanding him—he always sounds like he has a mouthful of marbles.
See also: marble, mouthful, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • eggs is eggs
  • from my cold, dead hands
  • kicking and screaming
  • sure as eggs is eggs
  • (as) sure as eggs (is eggs)
  • 57
  • Heinz
  • Heinz 57
  • Heinz 57 (variety)
  • Heinz 57 variety
References in periodicals archive
It was if he had a mouthful of marbles. That, or a set of dentures was coming loose.
Getting to tooth of Trump's reign; STATESIDE
Killie travelled the short distance to the West champions for Talbot trio Colin Spence, James Latta and Bryan Young's testimonial match with Clark sounding like he had a mouthful of marbles as he pronounced Awck-inleck-tawl-but.
Hungry to start up but not for Ricky's cooking; JOONS LONOY
JEFF BRIDGES, below ALTHOUGH largely unintelligible throughout thanks to what sounds like a mouthful of marbles and a set of dentures two sizes too small, Jeff Bridges inhabits his burned-out, grizzled country singer in Crazy Heart with frightening ease.
THE FIVE BEST... TOP FIVE ACTORS WHO SING IN MOVIES
Well-spoken, clearly top-drawer, but without exhibiting the strangulated vowel sounds and mouthful of marbles tendency of the rest of their family.
Young Royals put accent on ordinary
"You feel as if you have a mouthful of marbles. I usually wear it for a few hours before I go to bed when I'm less likely to speak to anyone.
Health: Can the face gym make you young?
Tweli Griffiths said, 'Nicholas Edwards had an image of this Anglicised gent who seemed to talk with a mouthful of marbles. But I realised while working on this programme how significant his contribution has been in the resurgence of the Welsh language, and how fiercely proud he is of his deep Welsh roots on his father's side, despite being brought up in England and educated at a public school.'
Edwards praised for his work on Welsh language
But despite the artifice, our intrepid guide, speaking through a mouthful of marbles, was quite engaging.
SHELLEY on THE TELLY: Nige has such Jurassic spark