But it's interesting to bear in mind the origin of the phrase - in relation to old phonographs (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16593.../image_196.jpg) with no volume control. The only way to make it quieter was indeed to 'stuff a sock in it'.
WHAT IS the meaning and origin of "put a sock in it"? (K. Renuka, Bangalore). When you tell someone to "put a sock in it", what you are telling him/her to ...
www.hindu.com/thehindu/edu/2003/08/05/stories/2003080500630200.htm - 14k - Cached - Similar pages __________________________________________________ _____________
"Put a sock in it". Definition: A terse request to be quiet. Origin: Since early gramophones had no volume control knobs, playing them at anything less than ...
www.askmen.com/fashion/austin_100/100_fashion_style.html - Similar pages
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There's also the fact that the first print citation for "put a sock in it" found .... Dear Word Detective: What is the origin of "she handed him the mitten" ...
put a cork in it; stuff a cork in it, cork it, stow it, shut your piehole, shut it, shut your face. all express the same meaning, with a varying degree of rudeness and vulgarity, naturally. so, buyer beware
Put a sock in it 
But it's interesting to bear in mind the origin of the phrase - in relation to old phonographs (
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