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is it common to say "something leave a nasty taste in the mouth"?

skirtLs
I want to explain my feelings after the ending of a book. The ending is really sad and devastating, it gives some unpleasant feelings. if I translate it from my mother language, it's "to leave residue" or "to leave a nasty taste in the mouth".

12 comments

zebostoneleigh•
My dad loved the word "nasty" but most people tend to just say "bad." also \- one thing leave**s** a bad taste \- many things leave \[no s\] a bad taste That said, the idea of a bad taste is often with a wider ramification. For instance - after reading a book, the bad taste would reflect on the author (all his works) not just the one book. "Seeing *Romeo & Juliet* performed live left a bad taste in my mouth about Shakespeare tragedies." Or, "My experiences in NYC left a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to the idea of ever going back to the United States."
Stuffedwithdates•
If you disliked the ending you could describe it like that. If you thought that the ending was good in spite of being sad and disturbing. You would not say. this use it for something that you actively dislike but find hard to describe why.
Ozfriar•
Yes, it is a common way to describe a situation that leaves you feeling disgusted or cheated or uncomfortable.
Ll_lyris•
Yes. Most ppl would say “this/it leaves a bad taste in my mouth figuratively or literally.
somuchsong•
We'd usually say "bad" but "nasty" works. More importantly though, in this context, we'd say "in my mouth", not "in the mouth".
eternal-harvest•
As people have said, the phrase is "leave a nasty taste in *my* mouth". But also, this phrase in English is more specifically for when something has made you feel disgusted. In the context of a book, if somebody said the ending left a nasty taste in their mouth, I'd assume: 1. The ending didn't meet their expectations. The rest of the book was good, but the ending was bad. This person might feel let down by the author. They might feel like they wasted time on the book. There's an implied element of disappointment. 2. The ending depicted some truly horrible event(s). Maybe a character was needlessly killed. Maybe a character was tortured for absolutely no reason. The ending might have depicted a horrible *idea* too. For example, imagine a cold-hearted character. Imagine that the entire story has been about teaching this character that kindness is good. Now imagine the very end of this story, when this character is *finally* kind, they are punished for it. A story like this might leave you with "a nasty taste in your mouth" because it was sending one message throughout the entire story, only to completely change at the very end. This kind of reversal can be upsetting and definitely leave a nasty taste in your mouth.
fjgwey•
You might say 'left a bad taste in my mouth' but you would usually say this for something or someone you disliked, not a sad ending of a book. You liked the book, the ending was just emotional so that phrase doesn't work in English.
Umbra_175•
You would say, “Something left a nasty taste in my mouth.”
Money_Canary_1086•
Normally a ‘bad taste in the mouth’ is for sinister things (things that leave you disgusted) vs sad things. I’d probably say, “it [the book] left me feeling devastated for the character(s).”
Chase_the_tank•
Unlike other European languages, English generally does NOT use the pattern of "the <body part>". You don't say "It left a nasty taste in **the** mouth.", you say "It left a nasty taste in **my** mouth." (or "**her** mouth", "**his** mouth", "**their** mouths", "**Bob's** mouth", etc.). This pattern is also done with other body parts. You don't say "I have a cut on **the** forehead."; you say "I have a cut on **my** forehead."
Evil_Weevill•
So yes to "leave a bad taste in my mouth" is a common expression But It usually implies that you disliked something enough that it left you with a lingering bad feeling. So if the ending was sad but you still enjoyed the book and thought it was a good (as in well written) ending, you probably wouldn't use this phrase.
MaestroZackyZ•
Usually it would just be “it left a bad taste in my mouth.”