tongue

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:
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.

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

English dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:

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

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”