“Read my lips” is an English idiom that demands attention to the speaker’s words. It is often followed by a clear statement. The phrase is literal, referring to lip-reading for the deaf. It can be seen as imperial or a promise. It was famously used by Pres. George H.W. Bush in a campaign speech. Similar phrases include “get it straight” or “I mean it.”
The English idiom “read my lips” is an imperative statement that requests or demands that listeners pay attention to the meaning of the words the speaker is saying. The phrase is most commonly used on its own, where someone saying “read my lips,” really wants to drive home a point to an audience. The sentence is commonly followed by a clear, short statement that aptly demonstrates the speaker’s main point.
As one of the most down-to-earth idioms in the English language, the phrase “read my lips” uses a fairly literal meaning. When someone is lip-reading someone, they are watching the way their mouth moves to figure out what words are being said. This is a primary way for those who are deaf to understand the way speakers say.
The underlying meaning of the phrase, “read my lips,” as it is said to those who can hear, goes something like this: By simultaneously hearing the words and reading the person’s slip, the listener will presumably get twice as much information as well. This is why people use the phrase to ask someone to closely follow what they are saying. The use of this phrase is often seen as somewhat imperial or patronizing, as it implies that the listener is not paying enough attention. It can also be taken as a promise, where the speaker assures the listener that he really means what he is saying.
In recent times, this old idiom was picked up by American Pres. George Herbert Walker Bush in a campaign speech on taxation. This full use of the phrase was “read my lips: no new taxes.” The phrase was later picked up as a mantle by anti-tax activists, and also treated with derision by others. According to media reports, the president later raised some taxes, which delegitimized his use of the phrase.
The English lexicon includes several phrases that have a similar meaning to “read my lips.” Another way to say it would be: “Let’s get it straight” or “Get it straight.” In general, the word “straight” refers to clarity of expression, in which English speakers can talk about getting a problem “straight” or commonly understanding the fact involved in a matter. Alternatively, a native English speaker might say “I mean it” or use some other more concrete expression of confidence.
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