Filter Coffee #111

On Loose Lips & Sinking Ships

Dear readers, FC #110 fetched some very interesting comments:

• Mani Srinivasan says: “This FC came at the right time. I have been delinquent in putting up my insurance claim. I will do so today.” Good luck with that claim, Mani.

• Tarun Kunzru says: “The one growth I know which is unlimited is growing inwards! If one can keep doing that, external limitations become increasingly irrelevant.”

• Swati Belur says: “Well written, here's to removing self-limiting beliefs that most of us tend to have which limit us from trying out new things…”

• Peter Ferenz says: “Another way of looking at limitations – the artist Matthew Barney has said/believes that without limitations, creativity cannot exist because creativity/expression is a reaction to restrictions…. Without restrictions, creativity cannot produce.” Very interesting perspective, Peter.

🤫 Loose Lips Sink Ships

You may have come across a person whom you have called a ‘motormouth’ – a person who talks rather excessively. So much so, that you find it hard to get in a word edgewise. One could call them ‘motormouth monologues’. Monologues are also relatable to stage performances where an actor or a speaker renders a very long-winded speech that could, if boring, make the audience nod off, not to be mistaken for agreement or appreciation. A monologue on stage is not considered a dialogue that takes place between two or more actors on stage.

Being a motormouth, or garrulous, can be quite harmless if the person does not talk loosely about anyone or anything. What is a ‘loose talk’? Is it speaking ill of someone? Is it speaking untruth? Is it spreading a canard? Is it an uninhibited, indiscrete conversation when one might reveal private or sensitive information about others?

It would appear, from the import of the phrase, that it fits the last category, namely revealing indiscreetly something personal or sensitive. Many believe that to have ‘loose lips’ is to have a big mouth, susceptible to talking about everyone and everything indiscreetly.

The phrase ‘loose lips sink ships’ is said to be an American-English Idiom meaning ‘beware of unguarded talk’. This was used as a slogan to warn US servicemen, and even citizens, during World War II not to discuss military tactics and other sensitive information that an enemy spy could take advantage of to subvert operations. In June 1943, Congressman May was returning from a tour of some American bases in the Pacific. At a press conference, he made the foolish revelation of how American submarines had so successfully evaded Japanese attacks. Please use this link to get more information on the congressman with loose lips: 🔗 https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/the-may-incident-of-june-1943.html

In the UK, this idiom is put more succinctly as ‘careless talk costs lives’. 

Even today, this idiom is relevant. If a person shoots his mouth off indiscreetly, any person listening to it could use it against them. One is never sure about who is listening and how they might use what they hear. It may be twisted to make it more sensational.

Some refer to this habit of blabbering as putting a foot in the mouth. It is said that “a closed mouth gathers no foot”.

In military terms, a ship may be sunk by loose lips, but in our ordinary lives too, it may be our undoing in many ways. Let us test various derivatives of this idiom.

Loose lips sink friendship: The readers may not need much of an explanation on this. Imagine you are with a friend who confesses to being smitten by his young colleague. You could be either his confidant and help him make the right moves to win over the love of his life, or you may blurt it out to another colleague without realising that someone overheard what you said, leading to double jeopardy. Soon the news spreads and before anyone can realise the extent of damage done, the lady in question quits her job, reeling under a sense of shame and embarrassment to avoid meaningful glances and whispers. Good friends soon become untrustworthy strangers.

Loose lips sink leadership: Every organisation, regardless of sector, strives to maintain leadership. To be able to lead the pack, one has to be one step ahead of the competition. This is quite achievable through innovation, pricing strategy, and many other customer-friendly initiatives. In some cases, the organisation may be looking for a ‘first-mover advantage’ in a market that is yet to be explored. The various plans and tactics the company has to secure this advantage are of vital importance. Imagine if an inebriated executive of this company talks boastfully about these plans and tactics whilst in the company of many people. The competitor somehow gets wind of the closely guarded information and swings into action with alacrity to pre-empt the company by aggressively making a foray into the new market which was in the sights of the company. 

Loose lips sink entrepreneurship: We are living in an era of start-ups, innovation, creation of intellectual property of a wide range. An idea is sacrosanct, and it can either make or mar the potential to monetize. The desire to convert an idea into millions of dollars can be overwhelming. The sooner you do it, the better. Simply because, besides the fear of idea-leakage, there is the fear of someone stumbling upon the same idea or a variant that undermines the value of the initial idea. There have been instances of an idea being stolen right under one’s nose. Imagine the damage caused by someone unwittingly providing a sneak preview. In the game of bridge, there’s a saying “one peep is as good as two finesses”. A hint of an idea given to an investor in the hope of getting him to invest may well be the undoing of the entrepreneur.

Loose lips sink showmanship: The one program I disapprove of is the one that gives away magician’s secrets. Why would anyone do such a thing? Almost everyone watching a magic show knows that they are entering a make-believe world, and there’s so much enjoyment to be had by witnessing that sleight of hand, the hypnotic acts, and other illusions of daredevilry. Since the show is all about exposing magicians, I would say loose clips sink showmanship.

Somewhat similar is the tendency among some people to say ‘the butler did it’ and ruin the suspense. Some derive a vicarious pleasure from letting the cat out of the bag. A friend once told me that in the office WhatsApp group someone mentioned that there would be a surprise greeting for his birthday without realizing that he was also on the group. A case of loose texts sink the treat.

I have come across many instances when someone begins to tell a joke and some insensitive blighter says, ‘ Oh! I know this joke, it is about the monkey & the elephant, no?’. Cruel. The art of listening to a joke which you may have heard before lies in appreciating how it is narrated by different people. Loose lips do sink the fun-ship.

Interestingly, being tight-lipped is not exactly the opposite of loose lips. A person is said to be tight-lipped when reticent, reluctant to speak, trying to suppress anger, or refusing to be drawn into a controversy. Some achievers, when praise is heaped on them, stay tight-lipped, which means they are being modest and self-effacing. Celebrities who zealously guard their private lives are usually tight-lipped. In an ordinary sense, tight-lipped could mean ‘no comments’.

Somewhat similar to tight-lipped is the phrase ‘pursing the lips’ which is indicative of disapproval, disgust, or sadness.

May I invite readers to please write a few lines about various phrases that use the word ‘lip’? For example lip service, my lips are sealed, stiff upper lip, etc.

Before I sign off, I am tempted to share something I read about 111 the number of this FC. In Tarot, Card number one (1) is The Magician (or Cobbler). This is the creative genius in all of us, brimming with confidence as he puts his plans into creative activity. The number 11 is generally considered to be a special number or Master Number in Numerology. When you see the number 111 it is a message that you are in the right place at the right time, the Magician within you is doing his work, so maintain a positive focus and look for the opportunities that are coming your way.

Someone said ruefully “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips”

Until next week, please take good care of yourself and be safe.