tongue

tongue
noun
1 soft part inside the mouth
ADJECTIVE
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 language
ADJECTIVE
mother, native

She speaks English, though her native tongue is German.

common
foreign
strange
VERB + 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.

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Synonyms:

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  • 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

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