释义 |
tongue noun 1 the clitoris TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 2003. 2 an attorney US, 1962.► get tonguein the categorisation of sexual activity by teenage boys, to kiss with tongue contact US, 1986
idiomtonguebite your tongueto stop yourself from saying something you were just about to say, especially because it would be rude etc:When parents tell me they're too busy to come and watch their kid's game I just have to bite my tongue.It's often better to bite your tongue and let pupils discover the process for themselves. —compare hold your tonguefind your tongue BrEBrEto start speaking, after you have been quiet for a while, especially because you were surprised or shocked:Before Lucy could find her tongue, Guido had left the room, slamming the door behind him."How dare you speak to me like that!" hissed Polly, finding her tongue at last.get your tongue round sth BrEBrEto correctly say or pronounce a difficult or complicated word, sentence etc:Ellie found it difficult to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words. "What does Ceol tradistiunta mean?""Charlie, what's that stuff we use on the cows? I can never get my tongue round it." "Propopamide, sir."give sb a tongue-lashing BrEBrEto talk to someone very angrily and for a long time about something they have done wrong:As Hall was sent off the field with a red card, Everton boss Kendall gave him a tongue-lashing from his seat.guard your tongueold-fashioned used in order to tell someone to be careful of what they say so that they do not tell a secret:He was angry with himself for telling her about the money; in future he must guard his tongue or risk losing everything.sb has lost his/her tongue BrEBrEspoken used when you are surprised because someone is not saying anything ◆ used by adults talking to children:What's the matter, have you lost your tongue?hold your tongueold-fashioned to stop yourself from speaking even though you want to say something, sometimes used to tell someone not to speak:Penny, if you don't hold your tongue, I'll send you out of the room. Theodora was shocked by the old woman's comments, but she held her tongue and changed the subject.loosen sb's tongueto make someone say something that they would not normally say:Three-quarters of a bottle of wine had loosened her tongue, and she found herself telling Ricky her life story.It's funny how getting stuck on a train can loosen people's tongues and draw them closer together.a sharp tongue when someone always talks to other people in an unpleasant or unkind way:My Dad used to stay out all day to avoid Mum's sharp tongue.Mrs Franks was nicknamed 'Dragon Lady', for her sharp tongue and aggressive management style.sb speaks/talks with (a) forked tongueused in order to say that someone is not speaking the truth about what they believe or intend to do ◆ used in politics:I know Mr Blair sometimes speaks with a forked tongue, but I am delighted that he supports the Conservative policy on training schemes.The Washington Post accused the President of talking with forked tongue.(with) tongue in cheekused in order to say that you are doing or saying something as a joke, and do not really mean it:Mr Ratner claims that his remarks were made tongue-in-cheek and is sorry that people found them so offensive.We started the scheme to make Sacramento a state with tongue in cheek, but it has revealed a lot of serious complaints about the running of the city.tongue-in-cheek: Wes Craven's tongue-in-cheek horror movie 'Scream' is sure to become a classic.NotePushing out your cheek with your tongue while someone was talking was used in former times as a sign to another person that you thought the speaker was not telling the truth. watch your tongue/mouthspoken used in order to tell someone to stop talking about something, or to stop being so rude:You'd better watch your mouth or you'll make me really angry.If you don't learn to watch your tongue, you're going to end up in trouble one of these days.
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