Tight Lipped Quotes & Sayings

He gave her a slight, tight-lipped smile. The smile he typically gave people before he ate them alive. — Jennifer L. Armentrout

thank fuck, we found her! I thought for sure she was hiding in the men's bathroom again!" As she let them lead her away, Sanders frothing in her wake, she said, "Fuck? It seems you've been tight-lipped about a very important swear word. Explain. — K.F. Breene

I've always enjoyed that kind of thing - thinking about the production of narrative and why it is that when we read a novel, we don't notice the fact that someone who might be very close-mouthed or tight-lipped is perfectly willing to tell us a story in 600 or 700 pages. — Matthew Tobin Anderson

Exactly so!" called Skifr. "I daresay this tight-lipped Vansterman knows battle. How did you get that scar, my dove?"
"I was milking a reindeer and she fell on me," said Fror. "She was ever so sorry afterward, but the damage was done" And Brand wondered if he winked his misshapen eye.
"Truly a hero's mark, then," grunted Thorn, curling her lip.
Fror shrugged. "Someone must bring in the milk. — Joe Abercrombie

TWO THINGS STRIKE every Irish person when he comes to America, Irish friends tell me: the vastness of the country, and the seemingly endless desire of its people to talk about their personal problems. Two things strike an American when he comes to Ireland: how small it is, and how tight-lipped. An Irish person with a personal problem takes it into a hole with him, like a squirrel with a nut before winter. He tortures himself and sometimes his loved ones, too. What he doesn't do, if he has suffered some reversal, is vent about it to the outside world. The famous Irish gift of gab is a cover for all the things they aren't telling you. — Michael Lewis

Fortified with self-loathing, with the reserves of sardonic contempt he'd absorbed in his time spent around Milacar, he'd gone to the gate tight-lipped and filled with a strange, queasy energy, as if walking to his own execution as well as Jelim's. He'd known at some deep, cold level that he would cope. He was wrong. Utterly. — Richard K. Morgan

Julie crossed her arms. "I'm serious. Flat Finn can't possibly go to school with her, right?"
"He already went to Brandeis so, no, he doesn't need to repeat seventh grade. Although they did make him take a bunch of tests in order to qualify out. He barely passed the oral exams, though, because the instructors found him withholding and tight-lipped. It's a terribly biased system, but at least he passed and won't have to suffer through the school's annual reenactment of the first Thanksgiving. He has a pilgrim phobia."
"Funny. Really, what's the deal with Flat Finn?"
"After an unfortunate incident involving Wile E. Coyote and an anvil, Three Dimensional Finn had to change his name. — Jessica Park

Trust me," Cameron cut in, "there ain't a thing wrong with those two unless you count the unusual and exquisite length of their legs.
Brooklyn turned a tight-lipped smile on him. "Thanks so much for that penis-driven observation. — Darynda Jones

Halfway through the meal, while we were all laughing and telling stories, I made the mistake of placing my hand on Kaidan's upper thigh without thinking.
He let out a groan loud enough to silence the room. I slipped my hand back into my own lap, and Kaidan cleared his throat.
"Wow," he said. "The corn pudding is fantastic."
I snorted, which started a round of snickers. Patti smiled at Kaidan like he was a precious boy.
"Isn't it good? Anna found the recipe a few years ago. She's a great cook."
"Mm-hm." Kaidan gave a tight-lipped smile. "That she is. — Wendy Higgins

Jeanne's sisters thought nothing of themselves ... Helen stayed up late in Brookline, baking. Lemon squares, and brownies, pecan bars, apple cake, sandy almond cookies. Alone in her kitchen, she wrapped these offerings in waxed paper and froze them in tight-lipped containers ...
Helen was the baker of the family. What she felt could not be purchased. She grieved from scratch. — Allegra Goodman

Even if the carriage lamps are repaired," Lord Ravenswood said, "it's not safe for you to leave tonight. And a few hours won't make much difference to your investigation."
"I told him that," said Tristian, "but my fool of a brother is obsessed with avoiding Miss Vernon's questions, and he thinks he can only manage that by staying ahead of our party."
"Ah," the viscount said.
Jane dug her fingers into her palms. After their intimacies last night, she'd thought they might have some chance together, but he only shared his body with her. Everything else he kept secret.
You're the one hiding here in the corner, her conscience said.
Yes, because it was her only way around the tight-lipped devil. — Sabrina Jeffries

Graham," she warned,tight-lipped, as he carried her up the stairs. "I've a dagger with me. Do not force me to use it on you."

"Aim fer my heart first, lass," he said, his gaze fixed and hard on hers. "Fer I think it has turned traitor on me."

His heart? Dear God, she did not want to kill him! And why would he say such a thing to her? What the hell did he mean? Did it have something to do with his being here alone instead of off somewhere rutting with a serving wench? — Paula Quinn

I trust you all slept well," I said, deliberately keeping my tone light. I returned Malich's glare with a tight-lipped grin.
"Yes, we did," Kaden answered quickly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. — Mary E. Pearson

Surely an American doesn't want to get it wrong; if there is anything that England stands for, with its quiet central squares, its tweeds and twin sets and teas, the tight-lipped precision of its speech, it is that there is a right way to do things. This is where the right way has its ancestral home. — Anna Quindlen

My name is Kane," he said finally, "and I am the youngest member ever to be inducted into the secret organization known as the Watchers. This," he gestured to the hall around them, "is what we call the Commuter Station. It is the second basement of the Watcher Castle." "Watchers?" said Lily. "What are you watching for?" Kane's mouth stretched into a bitter, tight-lipped smile and his eyes narrowed in Peter's direction. "Him. — C.A. Gray

Mitch McConnell, 72, is second only to Henry Clay as the state'€s most consequential public servant. McConnell's skills have been honed through five terms. He is, however - let us say the worst - not cuddly. National Review has said he has 'an owlish, tight-lipped public demeanor reminiscent of George Will.' Harsh. But true. — George Will

Rose's experiences had transformed her from a provincial innocent with a Caribbean accent into a woman of sophistication and hard realism, but the uncertainties of her position had taken their psychological toll, inclining her to extravagance and promiscuity. The bloom of her youth was beginning to fade, and she had such bad teeth ("like cloves") that rather than open her mouth to laugh, she maintained a tight-lipped smile whilst snickering through her nose, and went out of her way to avoid eating in company. — Paul Strathern

cheeks quite vigorously before one enters a room." Thaddeus looked grim and irritated. "This is all rubbish, and well you know it. The makers of cosmetics and beauty aids do very nicely in England. Do not try to tell me that they are making their fortunes selling their products solely to actresses, prostitutes and the occasional French tourist." Leona sipped her tea, silently deferring to Victoria. "Very well, Thaddeus," Victoria said, tight-lipped. "I will allow that, in truth, — Amanda Quick

Outside of note passing and the occasional tight-lipped kiss after school events, "going together" in seventh grade was pretty meaningless. You couldn't drive, had nowhere to go, and either weren't allowed or couldn't afford to do anything. I was kind of like being an old married couple, except you could control you bowels and stay awake past 8 p.m. — Eric Nuzum

We're good to move."
"Cool." Kolya's smile was every bit as tight-lipped as Riley's, but it was real. "Tell us when you need help."
"And tell us before your chest explodes," Andrej muttered, "so we can shoot the alien babies when they pop out."
Riley made a rude gesture. "McClane says, go fuck yourself."
Kolya chuckled. "Let's keep him. — J. Fally

Even as a young man, Sawtooth had a hard time talking to women. Since moving to Out-to-Sea, he's become tight-lipped as an oyster. But he can feel the worlds pearling on his tongue: Girl, you are my moon. You are the tidal pull that keeps time marching forward. — Karen Russell

(The Mona Lisa), that really is the ugliest portrait I've seen, the only thing that supposedly makes it famous is the mystery behind it, Katherine admitted as she remembered her trips to the Louvre and how she shook her head at the poor tourists crowding around to see a jaundiced, eyebrow-less lady that reminded her of tight-lipped Washington on the dollar bill. Surely, they could have chosen a better portrait of the First President for their currency? — E.A. Bucchianeri

The waiter smiled a polite little waiter's smile. He had almost exhausted his polite little waiter repertoire and would soon be slipping into his role of a rather tight-lipped and sarcastic little waiter. — Douglas Adams