like the bottom of a birdcage

English[edit]

(simile) Very foul-tasting; said of a person's mouth after heavy drinking etc.
- 1999, Ray Smith, The Man who Loved Jane Austen, page 158:
  At ten to one, Sid slouched in with an overflowing briefcase in one hand and a basketball under his arm, complaining of a hangover. 'Mouth like the bottom of a birdcage.'
- 2009, Elisabeth Blandford, How to Write the Best Research Paper Ever!, page 49:
  Does the bottom of your mouth taste like the bottom of a birdcage? Did you make a fool of yourself last night? Or don't you remember?