make one's mouth water



make one's mouth water

Cause one to eagerly anticipate or long for something, as in Those travel folders about Nepal make my mouth water. This metaphoric term alludes to salivating when one anticipates food and has been used figuratively since the mid-1600s, whether it refers to food, as in The sight of that chocolate cake made her mouth water, or not.
See also: make, mouth, water

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Dragana-Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Juan (2)-Chinese
MildredMIL-drədEnglish
Bikendi-Basque
JunÍPero-Various
ChristabelleKRIS-tə-belEnglish (Rare)