Don’t Let Your Mouth Write a Check Your Tail Can’t Cash

In Southern and Appalachian speech, "Don’t Let Your Mouth Write a Check Your Tail Can’t Cash" is a colorful warning meaning don’t boast, threaten, or promise more than you can actually deliver. It’s a folksy version of "don’t write checks you can’t cover," mixing financial imagery with Southern plain talk.

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Hillbilly Dude Says...

I've heard variants of 'don’t let your mouth write a check your tail can’t cash' all my life.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I've heard variants of 'don’t let your mouth write a check your tail can’t cash' all my life.

Pronunciation

[DONT let yer MOWTH RITE uh CHEK yer TAIL kant KASH]

Meaning & Usage

- To warn someone not to talk bigger than they can act (proverb/admonition)

Mae:

I’m gonna knock him out first punch.

Earl:

Careful - don’t let your mouth write a check your tail can’t cash.

- To caution humility and realism (proverb/admonition)

Mae:

I told everyone I’d finish that job today.

Earl:

Don’t let your mouth write a check your tail can’t cash - start smaller.

variations: don’t let your alligator mouth write a check your hummingbird tail can’t cash

★ This is one of the South’s most memorable ways of saying "don’t overpromise." Coaches, parents, and bosses still use it. The vivid imagery (mouth, check, tail) gives it a sting and makes it stick. ★

Origin and Etymology

A mid-20th-century Southern proverb. Earliest print examples appear in Texas and Alabama newspapers and oral tradition in the 1950s-60s. Built on the older banking proverb "Don’t write checks you can’t cover" but given a Southern spin with "mouth" and "tail."

Usage Notes

Still common in the South and Appalachia, especially in sports, military, and blue-collar settings. Outsiders recognize it from movies and stand-up comedy, but the phrasing remains most natural in Southern mouths.

Say It Like a Southerner

Said plain: "don’t let your mouth write a check your tail can’t cash." Sometimes "don’t let your alligator mouth write a check your hummingbird tail can’t cash."

Kin Topics

Common Questions

Does it mean literally writing checks?

No - it’s figurative for overpromising or trash-talking beyond your ability to deliver.

Is it only Southern?

It originated in the South but is now widely recognized; however, the "tail" version is most strongly Southern.

Is it still used today?

Yes - still a staple warning from coaches, parents, and elders.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, September 13). Don’t Let Your Mouth Write a Check Your Tail Can’t Cash. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/dont-let-your-mouth-write-a-check-your-tail-cant-cash
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Don’t Let Your Mouth Write a Check Your Tail Can’t Cash." HillbillySlang.com, 13 Sept. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/dont-let-your-mouth-write-a-check-your-tail-cant-cash.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Don’t Let Your Mouth Write a Check Your Tail Can’t Cash." HillbillySlang.com. September 13, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/dont-let-your-mouth-write-a-check-your-tail-cant-cash.

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