Zip it

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Grammarist

Zip it is an idiom that has only been in popular use for about half a century. We will examine the meaning of the idiomatic phrase zip it, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences.

Zip it is an imperative or a demand that someone stop talking. One may be told to zip it if one is about to divulge a secret or give more information than others want to hear, or one may be told to zip it simply because he is talking incessantly. Zip it is a rude term and is not used in polite or business English. Examples of the use of the expression zip it may be found from the 1930s, but the phrase became much more popular in the 1970s and beyond. The image that the idiom is based on is zipping one’s lips closed. Zip it is considered an American idiom, though its use has spread.

Examples

Botterill can send a message to his club by doing that and can send the word to agents they should zip it, too. (The Buffalo News)

‘As she continued to rant and rave, I told her to be quiet. Told her to zip it.’ (The Daily Mail)

Senate President Vicente Sotto III hit back at critics of the Senate panel’s investigation into the “ninja cops” issue, saying that those who are not familiar with the Senate rules should just “zip it.” (The Inquirer)