tongue (redirected from finds tongue)

be on the tip of your tongue

if something you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you know it and that you will be able to remember it very soon. Now what's her name again? Hang on, it's on the tip of my tongue.

See also: tip

bite your tongue

to stop yourself from saying something because it would be better not to, even if you would like to say it. I really wanted to tell her what I thought of him but I had to bite my tongue.

See also: bite

find your tongue

to begin to speak after being silent because you felt nervous or frightened. Amy took a step forward and finally found her tongue. 'I'm Rhoda's friend,' she said.

See also: find

get your tongue around/round something

to pronounce a difficult word or phrase. I just can't get my tongue around some of those Welsh place names.

See also: around, round

give someone the rough side of your tongue (British & Australian, old-fashioned)

to speak angrily to someone. The boss gave me the rough side of her tongue for being late twice this week.

See also: give, rough, side

Has the cat got your tongue?

something that you say to someone when you are annoyed because they will not speak. Well, has the cat got your tongue? I'm waiting for an explanation.

See also: cat, got, has

hold your tongue (old-fashioned)

to stop talking. George had learned to accept these little insults. He held his tongue.

See also: hold

keep a civil tongue in your head (slightly formal)

if you tell someone to keep a civil tongue in their head, you are telling them to be polite, especially after they have said something rude. Try to keep a civil tongue in your head. We want him on our side. (often an order)

See also: head, keep

loosen your tongue

if alcohol loosens your tongue, it makes you talk a lot without thinking carefully about what you are saying. Her tongue loosened by drink, she began to say things that she would later regret.

See also: loosen

roll/trip off the tongue

if a word or phrase trips off the tongue, it is very easy to say. The band is called 'Acquired Echoes'. It doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, does it?

See also: roll, trip

set/start tongues wagging (informal)

if something that someone says or does sets tongues wagging, it causes people to talk about them. His late-night visit to her home has set tongues wagging.

See also: set, start, wag

silver-tongued (literary)

a silver-tongued person speaks to someone in a pleasant way and praises them in order to persuade them to do what they want. He was a silver-tongued orator who convinced many people to support him. (always before noun)

a slip of the tongue

a mistake you make when speaking, such as using the wrong word. Did I say she was forty? I meant fourteen - just a slip of the tongue.

See also: slip

speak with (a) forked tongue

to make false promises or to speak in a way which is not honest. The minister is speaking with a forked tongue, promising support he will never deliver.

See also: speak

tongue in cheek

if you say something tongue in cheek, what you have said is a joke, although it might seem to be serious. 'And we all know what a passionate love life I have!,' he said, tongue in cheek.

See also: cheek

tongue-in-cheek

tongue in cheek - if you say something tongue in cheek, what you have said is a joke, although it might seem to be serious. She writes a very engaging and at times tongue-in-cheek account of her first meeting with the royal family.

a tongue-lashing (informal)

if you give someone a tongue-lashing, you speak to them angrily because they have done something wrong. The manager gave his team a tongue-lashing after they'd lost the game.

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bite your tongue

to stop yourself from speaking. his lack of reply seemed to indicate that he was angry and was biting his tongue.

See also: bite

cat got your tongue

why are you not speaking. After she finished the story, I kept silent. “What's the matter, cat got your tongue?” she asked.

See also: cat, got

hold your tongue

to say nothing or to stop speaking. He wanted to tell her the secret but wisely decided to hold his tongue.

See also: hold

loosen your tongue

to cause you to talk without thinking carefully about what you are saying. The vodka really loosened her tongue and I found out exactly what happened that night.

See also: loosen

on the tip of your tongue

about to be said. Her name is right on the tip of my tongue — Helen something or other, what is her last name!

See also: tip

(with) tongue in cheek

in a way that is not serious, although it appears to be. Karl explained, tongue in cheek, that he was busy with housecleaning.

See also: cheek