under one's breath

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

under one's breath

1. (of something said) Softly, so as not to be heard.

   Synonym: underneath one's breath

   • 2006, J. Gail, Karma’s a Bitch‎^[1], page 136:

     “Here she go lookin’ like a straight up dirty coochie having hoochie gettin’ all the play,” Quanisha mumbled under her breath jealously.

   • 2015, Edgar Pangborn, Edgar Pangborn SF Gateway Omnibus:

     Then of a sudden she was kissing and fondling instead of fighting me off, laughing under her breath and using a few horny words I didn't know at that time

   • 2022, Jenny Pentland, This Will Be Funny Later: A Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Harper, →ISBN, page 59:

     As I prepared myself by putting my Keds back on (I still take my shoes off at any opportunity), my mom mumbled something under her breath at my dad.

• sotto voce