sharp tongue

sharp tongue

A tendency to speak in a malicious or highly critical manner. Be prepared for your annual review—the boss tends to have a sharp tongue when going over your shortcomings. The mean old lady who lived on the corner made a reputation among us kids with her sharp tongue.
See also: sharp, tongue
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

sharp tongue

Fig. an outspoken or harsh manner; a critical manner of speaking. He has quite a sharp tongue. Don't be totally unnerved by what he says or the way he says it.
See also: sharp, tongue
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • barbed tongue
  • spooked
  • speak ill of
  • speak ill of (someone or something)
  • speak/think ill of somebody
  • piece of work
  • piece of work, a
  • a piece of work
  • a cold piece of work
  • leer at (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
"Maryam Nawaz is steering the party towards disaster because of her sharp tongue. Her misbehaviour could be responded to in the same manner by me, but I refuse to so out of respect for the Sharif family," Nisar continued.
More important, she's got a sharp tongue. And most important, she's a living, breathing reminder on the stage that women cannot be measured against familiar stereotypes.
conspiracies, bathroom humor, and nothing about the present or past is safe from the narrator's sharp tongue and pen.
The dangerous implications of a war initiated and led under false pretenses, the strategic importance of oil and its fundamental motivation in a political and worldwide power grab, emerging decadence in the West and more are all chronicles with a cautious eye and a sharp tongue. A deftly researched, deadly serious warning of the clear and present dangers of America's current uncontrolled national hubris.
He has a sharp tongue and that is a help at a club."
But those who worked with the 4-foot-7 editor at The Miami Herald knew Wolin's determination was matched only by his razor-sharp newsroom skills -- and an equally sharp tongue.
After her execution Rezaii said the girl's punishment was not meant to be execution, but that he had her executed for her "sharp tongue" (www.activistchat.com/blogiran, August 20, 2004; Jason, August 24, 2004).
Later on in the series, we'll be enjoying the sharp tongue of William Hague, Michael Parkinson and even good old Charlotte Church will be bringing a bit of showbiz bling to the presenter's chair.
She was a retro-savvy funkateer with an earthy demeanor and a slicingly sharp tongue. But while early singles like "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" were full of free-spirited sass and spunk, they betrayed her sensitive, somewhat embattled and embittered side--as evidenced on her subsequent efforts, most notably 1999's Bitter.
Zhirinovskii, known for his sharp tongue, is also scheduled to watch the World Cup match between Japan and Russia on June 9 at Yokohama International Stadium, during his nine-day trip to Japan, the officials said.
Then, with a sharp tongue it drills a hole through its host's skin to feed on blood and tissue.
Jade scoffs at the idea of being the perfect housewife and fights a constant battle between motherhood and her careen Her sharp tongue gets everyone's blood boiling.
We do learn about what she perceives to be her faults: her penchant for spending money she doesn't have, her quick and sharp tongue. But she logs these rather than explores them.
In spite of his sharp tongue, he performed many kind offices for his friends.
Islamabad -- Former interior minister and disgruntled PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar on Thursday issued a sharp warning to party supremo Nawaz Sharif saying that his daughter Maryam's 'sharp tongue' was steering the party into a dead end.