badmouth

verb

Etymology: Calque of a Mande term, perhaps Vai [Term?] or Mandinka [Term?], which entered English via Gullah [Term?]. Compare Japanese 悪口(わるぐち) (waruguchi, “badmouthing”), which is a compound of 悪(わる) (waru, “bad, wicked”) and 口(くち) (kuchi, “mouth”).

1. To criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully.

   “[…] those cross-Atlantic aficionados who persistently idolize the British theater and bad-mouth Broadway.”

   “He also believed that Mr. Altman was bad-mouthing the board to OpenAI executives, two people with knowledge of the situation said.”