"out of both sides of one's mouth" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "out of the side of one's mouth"
      },
      "expansion": "out of the side of one's mouth",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Compare out of the side of one's mouth.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "out of both sides of one's mouth",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with collocations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with collocations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "to speak out of both sides of one's mouth",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "to talk out of both sides of one's mouth",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 April 7, Derek Mooney, “Ireland's future is in Europe”, in The Observer",
          "text": "If speaking out of both sides of your mouth at the same time were a modern art form, they would be on permanent exhibition at the Tate. Sadly, it is not the only issue where they exhibit that trait, but I shall not go into the subject of vigilantism here.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003 February 21, David Teather, quoting Samuel Hirsch, “‘McFrankenstein’ returns to haunt fast food chain in new court action”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "The lawyer, Samuel Hirsch, said: \"They're speaking out of both sides of their mouth,\" when the company claims its food is healthy but should be eaten in moderation.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 June 19, Lenore Taylor, “The Coalition is engaging in double talk on climate policy – it has no other option”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "Even to a long-term student of political ventriloquy, the Abbott government’s capacity to speak out of both sides of its mouth on climate policy is astonishing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Indicating contradictory things."
      ],
      "id": "en-out_of_both_sides_of_one's_mouth-en-prep_phrase-Ogml2yHp",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively, originally US) Indicating contradictory things."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "double talk"
        },
        {
          "word": "in the same breath"
        },
        {
          "word": "laugh out of the other side of one's mouth"
        },
        {
          "word": "run with the hare and hunt with the hounds"
        },
        {
          "word": "speak with a forked tongue"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "out of both sides of one's mouth"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "out of the side of one's mouth"
      },
      "expansion": "out of the side of one's mouth",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Compare out of the side of one's mouth.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "out of both sides of one's mouth",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "double talk"
    },
    {
      "word": "in the same breath"
    },
    {
      "word": "laugh out of the other side of one's mouth"
    },
    {
      "word": "run with the hare and hunt with the hounds"
    },
    {
      "word": "speak with a forked tongue"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English prepositional phrases",
        "English terms with collocations",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "to speak out of both sides of one's mouth",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "to talk out of both sides of one's mouth",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 April 7, Derek Mooney, “Ireland's future is in Europe”, in The Observer",
          "text": "If speaking out of both sides of your mouth at the same time were a modern art form, they would be on permanent exhibition at the Tate. Sadly, it is not the only issue where they exhibit that trait, but I shall not go into the subject of vigilantism here.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003 February 21, David Teather, quoting Samuel Hirsch, “‘McFrankenstein’ returns to haunt fast food chain in new court action”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "The lawyer, Samuel Hirsch, said: \"They're speaking out of both sides of their mouth,\" when the company claims its food is healthy but should be eaten in moderation.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 June 19, Lenore Taylor, “The Coalition is engaging in double talk on climate policy – it has no other option”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "Even to a long-term student of political ventriloquy, the Abbott government’s capacity to speak out of both sides of its mouth on climate policy is astonishing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Indicating contradictory things."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively, originally US) Indicating contradictory things."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "out of both sides of one's mouth"
}