TIC

An abbreviation for "tongue in cheek," describing something humorous or intended as a joke, though seeming or appearing to be serious. I thought it was obvious that my comments were TIC, but it seems like I offended several people at the party.

tongue in cheek

COMMON If a remark or piece of writing is tongue in cheek, it is meant to be funny and is not meant to be taken seriously. I think people are taking all this more seriously than we intended. It was supposed to be tongue in cheek. Note: You can also say that someone is talking or writing with tongue in cheek or with their tongue in their cheek. If Howard said that, it must have been with tongue in cheek. Labour MPs, some with their tongue firmly in their cheeks, judged the result to have been a great success. Note: Tongue-in-cheek can also be used before a noun. The advert was meant to be a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek approach. We never intended to offend anyone.

See also: cheek, tongue

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

(with) tongue in cheek

speaking or writing in an ironic or insincere way.

This expression originated in the fuller form put or thrust your tongue in your cheek , meaning ‘speak insincerely’. At one time, putting your tongue in your cheek could also be a gesture of contempt, but that shade of meaning has disappeared from the modern idiom.

See also: cheek, tongue

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

(with) tongue in ˈcheek

(also with your tongue in your ˈcheek) if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you are not being serious and mean it as a joke: I never know if Charlie’s serious or if he’s speaking with tongue in cheek. ♢ a tongue-in-cheek remark OPPOSITE: in all seriousness

See also: cheek, tongue

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

tongue in cheek

and TIC

phr. & comp. abb. a phrase said when the speaker is joking or not being sincere. My comment was made TIC. Don’t take me seriously.

See also: cheek, tongue

TIC

verb

See tongue in cheek

See also:

References in periodicals archive

About 3% of people have chronic tic disorders, Black said.

How Do Kids Learn To Turn Off Troublesome Tics?

Thirty-four children, constituted the case group, were diagnosed with tic disorders at the first time at the outpatient clinic of Ataturk University Medical Faculty Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Gaziantep Maternity and Children Diseases Hospital, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry.

In addition, Yale Global Tic Severity Rating Scale (YGTSRS) was applied to the patients to determine the distribution and severity of tic disorder.

The Role of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in Tic Disorders

general government that are not included in the TIC data, using data provided by the U.S.

BEA produces quarterly and annual estimates of portfolio investment transactions based on data from the TIC survey Aggregate Holdings of Long-Term Securities by U.S.

How BEA Aligns and Augments Source Data From the U.S. Treasury Department for Inclusion in the International Transactions Accounts

Figure 11 shows surface contour representation of amount of Al 7075 and amount of TiC versus hardness value.

On the Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Aluminium 7075 Matrix Composite Material Reinforced with SiC and TiC Produced by Powder Metallurgy Method