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tongue

tongue

144 6.7
A way of speaking that shows a person's attitude
  • noun
  • /tʌŋ/
: lenguaje
  • 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.

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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

speech
vstongue
34 1.0

The way a person uses words and voice when talking

is a more general label used as a single short term for that style
15 3.8

A person's usual way of talking that shows how they feel or think

is the concise single-word label for the same idea

Idioms

tongue-in-cheek
  • Informal
13 6.8

Joking and not meant to be taken seriously

tongue-in-cheek
  • Informal
10 7.4

Said jokingly and not meant to be taken seriously

5 3.6

To be easy and pleasant to say

Make someone talk more and tell secrets

1 9.9

To be very quiet when other people expect you to speak

Say things that are not true to trick others

1 6.1

Stop yourself from saying something you want to say because it would be rude

1 5.4

To stay silent to avoid saying something rude

7.2

To start speaking again after shock or surprise

To say a word correctly, often with difficulty

Become unable to speak when you feel nervous or embarrassed

Compounds

tongue tie
  • Specialized
10 8.2

A small piece of skin under the tongue is too short from birth and stops the tongue moving well

silver tongue
  • Informal
8 7.4

A skill at speaking in a way that convinces people

7 6.1

A habit of speaking in a harsh, critical way

7 3.7

A small mistake you make while speaking, like saying the wrong name

The first language a person learns at home

tongue depressor
  • Specialized
6 4.0

A thin flat stick doctors press on the tongue to check the mouth and throat

tongue-lashing
  • Informal
5 7.6

A strong angry talk that scolds someone for a mistake

forked tongue
  • Informal
4 8.7

Speech that says one thing but means another to trick people

tongue twister
  • Informal
3 6.0

A phrase that is hard to say quickly because of similar sounds

2 6.5

Polite speech that shows respect and keeps a calm tone

A habit of saying harsh, hurtful things about other people

hairy tongue
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A harmless mouth problem where the tongue looks dark and furry because tiny bumps grow too long, often after antibiotics

black tongue
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A temporary dark patch that appears on the tongue often after antibiotics

1 3.4

A cow's tongue that is cooked and eaten as meat

A small fern with one leaf and a thin spore spike like a snake's tongue

A houseplant with long upright thick leaves often called snake plant

1 4.9

A way of joining wooden boards by fitting an edge into a matching slot to make a flat strong surface

1 9.9

A tropical plant from Southeast Asia with large leaves, a dark red flower part, and edible underground stems

bull tongue
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A heavy plow with one wide blade that breaks soil for cotton

furry tongue
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A harmless mouth condition where tongue bumps grow long and look dark

tongue fern
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A fern with long flat leaves that look like tongues

A cooked tongue from a young cow that is eaten as food

A small garden plant with bright, soft, trumpet-shaped flowers often yellow or purple

A fern with long flat green leaves that look like a tongue

tongue-fish
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small flat sea fish with both eyes on the left side found on sandy bottoms

A fern with long flat leathery leaves that grows in shade

cow-tongue fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or on the ground in warm places

earth-tongue
  • Specialized
9.9

A small club-shaped fungus that grows in soil or grass

egg-and-tongue
  • Specialized
9.8

A decorative border with egg-shaped figures alternating with small pointed shapes

A fern with a thin spike that looks like a snake's tongue

A plant with rough tongue-shaped leaves and blue or purple flowers

tongue worm
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wormlike parasite with hooks that lives inside the nose of animals like dogs or cows

tongue-flower
  • Specialized
9.9

An orchid with blue or purple flowers and a tongue-shaped part on the flower's lip

An old logging machine that lifts one end of a log with hanging tongs between its wheels

A historical logging machine that lifts one end of a log with hanging tongs between wheels to move it

9.9

Wheels with hanging metal hooks that lift one end of a log for pulling

yellow adder's tongue
  • Specialized
9.9

A small North American spring flower with one yellow spotted blossom

How Distinctive

idiolect
  • Specialized
1 9.9
tongue
144 6.7
style
22 3.0

Surface Forms

tongue singular
tongues plural

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.