to roll off the tongue
4
3.6
- idiom
- /roʊl ɔf ðə tʌŋ/
- Informal
:
fluir fácilmente
- The phrase "homogeneous charge compression ignition" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but the idea is a hot topic of research.
- it just rolls off the tongue
- a name that rolls off the tongue
- a word that rolls off the tongue
Excuse me, just rolls off the tongue again, no pun intended.
- Excuse me, just rolls off the tongue again, no pun intended.
- Or did this whole slew of stuff just come rolling off the tongue?
Examples
-
My name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, so it tends to get misspelled.
Blog text (8) -
It just kinda rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
Blog text (13) -
I think it just rolls off the tongue easily or something.
Blog text (1) -
Rolls off the tongue so easily, and really, who can disagree?
Blog text (17) -
- Yeah, it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
-
ECOEI rolls off the tongue quite well.
Blog text (32) -
It's a lovely name that rolls off the tongue so easily: George Fortescue Maximilian de Winter.
-
It rolls off the tongue more easily than "chick fil a."
Blog text (6) -
I've decided to start using the more correct Hockey Partners moniker for the Jamison group so we'll all get used to it rolling off the tongue.
Blog text (16) -
The phrase "carpe diem" rolls off the tongue, making it a favorite among students.
Antonyms
How Easy
1
8.3
- Informal
4
3.6
∞
1.0
61
3.3
- Informal
3
6.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The image of something literally 'rolling' off the 'tongue' gives a clear metaphor of smooth, easy movement, so a learner who knows the parts can plausibly infer the idea of words being easy or pleasant to say. However, the specific idiomatic meaning (easy to pronounce or pleasing-sounding) is a metaphorical extension rather than strictly compositional, so it is not fully predictable for an uninstructed B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase roll off the tongue gives a clear picture: imagine a word as a small ball that rolls easily off your tongue, sliding smoothly and without effort. That's why it means 'easy to say' or 'pleasant to pronounce'.