tongue

I UK [tʌŋ] / US noun
Word forms "tongue":
singular tongue plural tongues
**

1) [countable] the long soft piece of flesh fixed to the bottom of your mouth that you use for tasting, speaking etc

I burnt my tongue on the hot coffee.

2) [countable] mainly literary a language

your native tongue:

English was clearly not his native tongue.

a foreign tongue:

They were speaking in some foreign tongue.

See:

mother tongue

3) [singular] a particular way of speaking or writing

a sharp tongue (= a severe and unkind way of speaking to people):

She has a rather sharp tongue.

a silver tongue (= an ability to talk well and persuade people):

I hope you've not allowed yourself to be persuaded by Laura's silver tongue.

4) [countable/uncountable] the tongue of an animal cooked and eaten as food

5) [countable] a long thin piece of material that lies under the part of a shoe or boot where you fasten it

6) [singular] mainly literary something that looks like or moves like a tongue

tongue of:

a tongue of flame/fire

7) [countable] a long narrow piece of land that continues out into a sea, lake etc

•

lost your tongue? — spoken used for asking someone why they are not saying anything, especially when they usually say what they think

roll/trip/slip off the tongue — to be easy to pronounce

It's not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue.

stick your tongue out (at someone) — to move your tongue quickly out of your mouth as an insult

with (your) tongue in (your) cheek — if you write or say something with tongue in cheek, you intend it to be humorous and do not mean it seriously

I suspect he wrote that with tongue in cheek.

- find your tongue

- get your tongue round something

- hold your tongue

- keep a civil tongue in your head

- speak in tongues

- tongues wag

- watch your tongue

See:

bite I, cat, guard I, loosen, slip II, tip I

II UK [tʌŋ] / US verb
Word forms "tongue":
present tense I/you/we/they tongue he/she/it tongues present participle tonguing past tense tongued past participle tongued

1) [intransitive/transitive] music to produce a musical note on a wind instrument by using your tongue to prevent air from flowing through it for a short time

2) [transitive] to touch someone or something with your tongue, especially in order to make them sexually excited