Dictionary

lip service en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

First use appears c. 1590, in A Treatise against Witchcraft by Henry Holland. Compare earlier lip-labour.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, uncountable) Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention.
   • Don’t madam me, — I can’t bear none of your lip service. I’m a plain-spoken woman, that’s what I am, and I like other people’s tongues to be as plain as mine. 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:
   • The candidate gave lip service to fixing the problems, but it is doubtful that he will do much.
   • “OK, let’s see if he’s really being honest about this,” Ms. Neloms, 42, who is Black, recalled thinking. “My prayer is that it’s not just lip service.” 2020 November 11, John Eligon, Audra D. S. Burch, “Black Voters Helped Deliver Biden a Presidential Victory. Now What?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 22 Feb 2021:
   • Your love is thick, and it swallowed me whole / You're so much braver than I gave you credit for / That's not lip service 1995, Alanis Morissette, “Head over Feet”, in Jagged Little Pill:
2. (slang, uncountable, vulgar) Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip).
   • Jack gave Samantha lip service.

Forms

Relateds

lip comfort · lip religion · lip devotion · lip wisdom · lip-deep · lip-server · eyeservice · lip-labour

Synonyms

mouth music · brain · Kirk · neck · dome · head

Translations (40)

gv beeal-ghraih (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · no tomprat (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es rollo (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · ru пустословие (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · fi tyhjät sanat (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es floro (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · mi ngutu kau (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · cmn 空口 (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · fr baratin (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · id omon-omon (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · ru пусты́е слова́ (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es habla de boquilla (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es choro (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es floreo (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · tl ngawngaw (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es palabrería (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · ru неи́скренние словоизлия́ния (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · de Lippenbekenntnis (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · sv läpparnas bekännelse (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es labia (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · nl lippendienst (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · pt falar da boca para fora (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · pt papo furado (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · it adesione di facciata (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · mi kai-ā-waha (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es solamente palabras bonitas (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · yue 空口 (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · it promessa vuota (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · fi tyhjä puhe (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es gesto vacío (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es habla con la boca pequeña (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · fr boniment (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es falsas promesas (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es habla de labios para afuera (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · no tomt prat (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · mi pare-ā-waha (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · es hacer brindis al sol (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · mi tautoko-ā-māngai (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · ja リップサービス (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention) · ja 口先 (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention)

wikipedia: Henry Holland