- tongue
- noun1 soft part inside the mouthADJECTIVE▪ long▪ forked▪ loose, sharp (both figurative)▪
Everyone knows now, thanks to Ken's loose tongue (= he could not keep the secret).
▪He has a reputation for having a sharp tongue.
▪She could tear a man to pieces in three minutes with her sharp tongue.
VERB + TONGUE▪ poke out, put out, stick out▪It's very rude to stick your tongue out at people.
▪ run▪He ran his tongue nervously over his lips.
▪ click▪ bite, hold (both figurative)▪She was dying to say something sarcastic to him, but bit her tongue and stayed silent.
▪ free, loosen (both figurative)▪The wine had loosened his tongue.
▪ roll off, slip off, trip off▪It's not a name that exactly trips off the tongue (= is easy to say).
TONGUE + VERB▪ hang out▪The dog lay in a patch of shade with its tongue hanging out.
▪ flick, flicker▪The snake's tongue flicked out of its mouth.
▪ lick sth▪His tongue licked dry lips.
▪ wag (figurative)▪This is a small island and tongues are beginning to wag (= people are beginning to gossip).
▪ find (figurative)▪Before she could find her tongue (= speak) the door had closed behind him.
▪ watch (figurative)▪You just watch your tongue (= be careful what you say)!
TONGUE + NOUN▪ piercing▪I had a tongue piercing, an ear piercing, and a nose ring.
PHRASES▪ a slip of the tongue (figurative)▪He said it was a slip of the tongue (= a mistake in speaking) and apologized.
▪ be on the tip of your tongue (figurative)▪It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse.
▪ get your tongue around sth, get your tongue round sth (BrE, figurative)▪He was having trouble getting his tongue around my name.
▪ a tongue of fire, a tongue of flame▪Tongues of flame licked up the walls.
2 a languageADJECTIVE▪ mother, native▪She speaks English, though her native tongue is German.
▪ common▪ foreign▪ strangeVERB + TONGUE▪ speak▪They were speaking a foreign tongue.
PREPOSITION▪ in a/the tongue▪She could hear the men whispering in a foreign tongue.
PHRASES▪ speak in tongues (= to speak in unknown languages, esp. at a religious ceremony)
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
tongue — [tuŋ] n. [ME tunge < OE, akin to Ger zunge < IE base * dṇĝhū , tongue > L lingua (OL dingua)] 1. the movable muscular structure attached to the floor of the mouth in most vertebrates: it is an important organ in the ingestion of food,… … English World dictionary
Tongue — Tongue, n. [OE. tunge, tonge, AS. tunge; akin to OFries. tunge, D. tong, OS. tunga, G. zunge, OHG. zunga, Icel. & Sw. tunga, Dan tunge, Goth. tugg[=o], OL. dingua, L. lingua. [root]243 Cf.{Language}, {Lingo}. ] [1913 Webster] 1. (Anat.) an organ… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tongue — TONGUE, a parish, in the county of Sutherland, 250 miles (N. by W.) from Edinburgh; containing, with the island of Roan, and the villages of Tongue, Skianid, and Torrisdale, 2041 inhabitants, of whom 1558 are in the rural districts. This place … A Topographical dictionary of Scotland
tongue — ► NOUN 1) the fleshy muscular organ in the mouth, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and (in humans) articulating speech. 2) the tongue of an ox or lamb as food. 3) a person s style or manner of speaking: a debater with a caustic tongue. 4) a … English terms dictionary
Tongue — (gaélico escocés, Tunga del antiguo escandinavo Tunga) es un pueblo costero en el noroeste de las Tierras Altas, Escocia (en la parte occidental del anterior condado de Sutherland. Queda en la costa este sobre la base del Kyle de Tongue y al… … Wikipedia Español
Tongue — Tongue, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tongued}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tonguing}.] 1. To speak; to utter. Such stuff as madmen tongue. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To chide; to scold. [1913 Webster] How might she tongue me. Shak. [1913 Webster] 3. (Mus.) To modulate … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tongue — bezeichnet: Tongue (Highlands), Ort in den schottischen Highlands Tongue (Mali), Ort in Mali auf Englisch die Zunge Tongue ist der Name folgender Personen: Nicholas Tongue (* 1973), ehemaliger neuseeländischer Schwimmer Thomas H. Tongue… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Tongue — Tongue, v. i. 1. To talk; to prate. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mus.) To use the tongue in forming the notes, as in playing the flute and some other wind instruments. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tongue|y — «TUHNG ee», adjective. 1. Informal. talkative; loquacious; garrulous. 2. of or like a tongue; produced by the tongue; lingual … Useful english dictionary
Tongué — Géographie Pays Mali Région Ségou Cercle … Wikipédia en Français
tongue in — ( ● tongue … Useful english dictionary