tongue
- noun
- /tʌŋ/
- During the meeting, his sharp tongue often offended the colleagues around him.
- slip of the tongue
- tongue-in-cheek
- hold one's tongue
You're like, it's so fucking clear that that person is tongue in cheeking this.
- You're like, it's so fucking clear that that person is tongue in cheeking this.
- It was like tongue firmly and and and cheek.
Examples
-
But when does a short temper or sharp tongue cross the line into something more serious?
Academic text (1995) -
Hold your tongue.
-
Every time on this show, my tongue feels like a stranger.
-
His name's on the tip of my tongue and it tastes terrible.
-
Mary always has a story at the tip of her tongue to illustrate any issue.
Academic text (2008) -
It was just a slip of the tongue!
-
Indeed, his sole difficulty is finding the tongue to express his delight... ?
Academic text (1993) -
Once we enter the Tower grounds, hold your tongues and accept whatever happens.
Fiction book (1991) -
Your absence these past weeks has sent tongues wagging.
-
Watch your tongue, Norman.
Synonyms
The way a person uses words and voice when talking
A person's usual way of talking that shows how they feel or think
Idioms
- Informal
Stop yourself from saying something you want to say because it would be rude
Compounds
- Informal
A small mistake you make while speaking, like saying the wrong name
- Specialized
A thin flat stick doctors press on the tongue to check the mouth and throat
- Specialized
A way of joining wooden boards by fitting an edge into a matching slot to make a flat strong surface
- Specialized
A temporary dark patch that appears on the tongue often after antibiotics
- Specialized
A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or on the ground in warm places
- Indian
A tropical plant from Southeast Asia with large leaves, a dark red flower part, and edible underground stems
- Specialized
A decorative border with egg-shaped figures alternating with small pointed shapes
- Specialized
A harmless mouth problem where the tongue looks dark and furry because tiny bumps grow too long, often after antibiotics
A small garden plant with bright, soft, trumpet-shaped flowers often yellow or purple
- Specialized
A small flat sea fish with both eyes on the left side found on sandy bottoms
- Specialized
A small piece of skin under the tongue is too short from birth and stops the tongue moving well
- Specialized
A small wormlike parasite with hooks that lives inside the nose of animals like dogs or cows
- Specialized
An orchid with blue or purple flowers and a tongue-shaped part on the flower's lip
- Archaic
An old logging machine that lifts one end of a log with hanging tongs between its wheels
- Archaic
A historical logging machine that lifts one end of a log with hanging tongs between wheels to move it
- Archaic
Wheels with hanging metal hooks that lift one end of a log for pulling
- Specialized
A small North American spring flower with one yellow spotted blossom
How Distinctive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tongue comes from an old German word tunge for the speech organ, so it also came to mean a person's way of speaking; that's why a 'sharp tongue' means harsh words and a 'gentle tongue' means kind speech.