tongue

tongue1 [ tʌŋ ] noun **

▸ 1 organ in mouth

▸ 2 language

▸ 3 way of speaking/writing

▸ 4 animal tongue as food

▸ 5 long narrow piece

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) count the long soft piece of flesh attached to the bottom of your mouth that you use for tasting, speaking, etc.:

I burned my tongue on the hot coffee.

2. ) count MAINLY LITERARY a language:

your native tongue: English was clearly not his native tongue.

a foreign tongue: They were speaking in some foreign tongue.

=> MOTHER TONGUE

3. ) singular a particular way of speaking or writing:

a sharp tongue (=a severe and unkind way of speaking to people): She has a very sharp tongue.

a silver tongue (=an ability to talk well and persuade people): I hope you've not allowed yourself to be persuaded by Laura's silver tongue.

4. ) count or uncount the tongue of an animal cooked and eaten as food

5. ) count a long thin piece of material that lies under the part of a shoe or boot where you fasten it

a ) tongue of MAINLY LITERARY something that looks like or moves like a tongue:

a tongue of flame/fire

b ) a long narrow piece of land that continues out into an ocean, lake, etc.

bite your tongue

to stop yourself from saying something that you would like to say because it will make someone upset or angry

find your tongue

to start to be able to speak again after being too afraid or embarrassed

get your tongue around something INFORMAL

to pronounce a difficult or strange word:

I had trouble getting my tongue around some of their names.

hold your tongue MAINLY LITERARY

1. ) to say nothing, although you want to speak

2. ) OLD-FASHIONED used for telling someone not to speak

keep a civil tongue in your head OLD-FASHIONED

used for telling someone not to be rude

loosen someone's tongue

to make someone more willing to speak or give information:

A few glasses of wine had loosened her tongue.

lost your tongue?/(has the) cat got your tongue? SPOKEN

used for asking someone why they are not saying anything, especially because they usually say what they think

roll/trip/slip off the tongue

to be easy to pronounce

a slip of the tongue

an occasion when you say something that you do not mean to say, or when you fail to pronounce something correctly

speak in tongues

to speak in a strange language that no one understands as a result of extreme religious excitement

stick your tongue out (at someone)

to move your tongue quickly out of your mouth as an insult

tongues wag

if tongues wag, people say unkind things about someone

watch your tongue SPOKEN

used for saying that someone is being rude and should not say any more

with (your) tongue in (your) cheek

if you write or say something with tongue in cheek, you intend it to be humorous and do not mean it seriously

=> GUARD 2, TIP1

tongue

tongue 2 [ tʌŋ ] verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive to produce a musical note on a WIND INSTRUMENT by using your tongue to prevent air from flowing through it for a short time

2. ) transitive to touch someone or something with your tongue, especially in order to make them sexually excited