Definition of tongue in English:

tongue

nounPlural tongues tʌŋtəŋ

1The fleshy muscular organ in the mouth of a mammal, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and (in humans) articulating speech.
Example sentencesExamples
- As you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat and roof of your mouth relax.
- Common sites for barbell-style jewelry are the ear, eyebrow, tongue, and navel.
- To take an oral reading, place the thermometer in the child's mouth under the tongue.
- The digestive system includes the mouth, teeth, tongue, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.
- In a swallow, the tongue presses the bolus into the pharynx.
- The discovery of a specific taste receptor on the human tongue for glutamates in 2000 legitimized its existence as a basic flavor.
- This deficiency is associated with anemia, a sore mouth and tongue and poor growth and spinal cord problems in newborn children.
- The seal has a big, fat, fleshy tongue and nostrils and a larynx very much like ours.
- You put them in your mouth at bedtime to keep your tongue and jaw forward during sleep.
- In severe cases, oral herpes causes sores that spread from the lips to the inside of the mouth, along the tongue and cheeks to the back of the throat.
- A bundle of muscles extends from the floor of the mouth to form the tongue.
- Patients are also at risk for cancers of the brain, lung, stomach, tongue, and melanoma of the eye, and leukemia.
- Swallowing, which is accomplished by muscle movements in the tongue and mouth, moves the food into the throat, or pharynx.
- The most serious symptom is the swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, face and throat.
- The oral cavity with the tongue, the pharynx and esophagus constitute the swallowing organ.
- Look out for vomit blocking the airway and check that the patient has not swallowed their tongue.
- Cool water dribbled on his lips, and he opened his mouth, moistening his tongue and swallowing.
- The tongue and mucous membranes lose their glistening appearance and the buccal mucosa becomes sticky.
- It took three swallows for her tongue and throat to start working again.
- Call your doctor if you have sores in your mouth, on your tongue, or on your lips.
1. 1.1 The equivalent organ in other vertebrates, sometimes used (in snakes) as a scent organ or (in chameleons) for catching food.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Instead, they transfer compounds from their tongues into two elaborate sensory receptors known as the vomeronasal organs.
  White many other kinds of lizards can extend their tongues to seize small prey, only chameleons have evolved a powerful suction device: a pouch on the lingual tip.
  It actually functions as a tongue and sends food down the fish's throat.
  Like pangolins, aardvarks have a long, protrusile tongue and a gizzard-like stomach.
  These snakes are roughly cylindrical, and if their small forked tongues didn't flick in and out, it would be hard to tell one end from the other.
  The tongue contacts the food item forcefully, pushing it down into the papillae, maximizing the area of contact.
  Geese, of course, do not rely on this tongue for getting food into the mouth, so the hyoid apparatus tends to be simple, but powerful.
  Dissection of chameleon tongues revealed an elastic collagen tissue sandwiched between the tongue bone and the accelerator muscle.
  In all squamates, including iguanians, the tongue is also used for vomeronasal chemoreception.
  Dramatic decreases are believed to occur when tissues under the tongues of green frogs become inflamed and are sloughed.
  When snakes flick their tongues in and out, they pick up chemical cues from the air, which they transfer to a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth.
  Parents carry plankton to the chick in a pouch under their tongue.
  During the ascent it smartly taps the bark, prising off fragments and frequently extracting food from crevices with the tip of its sticky tongue.
  In most vertebrates the hyoid supports the tongue, as it does in the snake-necked turtle.
  Although their tongues are large, they do not protrude them beyond the threshold of the jaws.
  They feed mainly on leaves of acacia and mimosa, using their 450mm extendable tongues and mobile lips to secure their food.
  Recent modeling studies have focused on systems such as vertebrate jaws, limbs, tongues and tentacles and axial muscle.
  When collecting seeds to cache, a bird can store as many as 90 seeds in a pouch behind its tongue.
  Their bills are adapted for removing seeds from cones, and they start at the bottom of a cone and spiral upward, prying open each scale and removing the seeds with their tongues.
  Similarly, control of the anuran tongue is achieved largely through its mechanical relationship with the lower jaw.
2. 1.2 An analogous organ in insects, formed from some of the mouthparts and used in feeding.
3. 1.3mass noun The tongue of an ox or lamb as food.
  a galantine of tongue
  Example sentencesExamples
  But don't forget oxtail and tongue, both of which will probably need to be ordered specially.
  Pound per metric pound, it's cheaper to buy rump steak than it is pork tongue.
  At 2.39 leva the Stara Planina salad is a slightly less ostentatious plate of tongue, sausage, tomato, cheese and olives.
  Cut the beef tongue and foie gras into six slices and reserve.
  I try desperately not to cringe when offered tongue, frog's legs and pig's trotters, and I eat them, every time.
  For supper we'd have things that people would never dream of eating now, like cold tongue or herrings' roe on toast.
  The statement also said the latest cases were likely caused by the consumption of tainted pork tongue in jelly.
  Soak tongue in cold running water for three to four hours.
  Stir in the remaining pork tongue, chili paste and miso.
  These berries are considered to be a fine accompaniment for buffalo steaks or tongue, an affinity which accounts for their common name.
  These were duly consumed by the 160 residents, together with ham and tongue and 500 fancy cakes.
  Just like potato chips, crackers, pickled eggs, popcorn and tongue, les pattes de porc are designed to leave you begging for beer.
  I had braised beef tongue with ragout of porcini mushroom and white beans, with a soft poached egg laid on top.
  Perhaps horse would do, or tongue, or pork, or some sort of bird.
  Add tongue; simmer for three to four hours or until tender.
  If you're not in the sandwich mood, they do have other items on the menu, including pork tongue with a red pepper sauce which was quite tasty.
  It might be impossible to move an entire case of tongue or oxtail or side of lamb unless the person requesting it buys at least half.
  A Chilean Merlot or a decent Beaujolais is the best partner for liver, tongue, sausage and ham.
  No word on what he thought of such delicacies as the black pepper donuts and the Kobe beef tongue.
  We were served salad, tongue, filled peppers and that's where I stopped.
2in singular Used in reference to a person's style or manner of speaking.
he was a redoubtable debater with a caustic tongue
Example sentencesExamples
- When something about the magic act goes wrong, a glib tongue and a humorous manner can do much to gloss over the slip so that people do not notice that anything is amiss.
- I cannot let Aoife's caustic tongue spoil this experience for me.
- She had a distaste for the world and she showed it with a general lack of emotion and sharp tongue laced with venomous words.
- A caustic wit, a penetrating eye, a stiletto tongue that enjoyed drawing blood, she wasn't everyone's cup of tea.
- Jesters of the past, though figures of fun at the royal court, were often highly intelligent men whose quick wit and sharp tongue both diverted the monarch and reminded him of his mortality.
Synonyms
way/manner of speaking, way/manner of talking, form/mode of expression, choice of words, verbal expression
conversation, vocabulary, phraseology, style, parlance, speech
French façon de parler
1. 2.1count noun A particular language.
  the girls were singing in their native tongue
  Example sentencesExamples
  About 7 or 8 percent also speak an Amerindian language as their native tongue.
  It is used by more people than any other language, mostly as a second language, not a native tongue.
  None of the inhabitants spoke French as a native tongue, and few understood it.
  East Timor comes across as a series of lands within a land, with different tongues and customs.
  The drive has to come from the students who choose to speak their native tongue instead of a language that everyone understands.
  They converse in strange tongues, using words and expressions that are totally alien to me.
  They shout in strange tongues - not English, not Hindi.
  Along with Czech and Polish, it is classified as a western Slavic tongue in the Indo-European language family.
  None of the crossover Scandinavian rockers sing in their native tongues, but Sweden's biggest band does.
  The Chamorros and Carolinians are largely multilingual, speaking their native tongues, English, and Japanese.
  Modern walkers love to travel, and many long for the diversion of strange lands and foreign tongues.
  There are several local tongues, like the language of my people, the Hehe, and the official language Swahili, and English.
  Between the four soldiers in the back of the Land Rover there are four languages, Nepalese and English are common tongues and there are two caste languages which they don't all understand.
  Some of us learned the lesson quickly and laughed at our classmates who were less adept at English and slow to drop their native tongues.
  For example, many of the research labs are staffed by Asians who prefer to speak in their native tongues.
  Then we heard several men's voices at once, speaking in a strange tongue, with the same flat, broad tone, and I heard for the first time the native speech of the Danes.
  It is presently marketed in the native tongues of Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Holland and Argentina, and in English in most western European countries.
  For Bulgarians, it's the chance to practice delivering lines not in your native tongue - and to mingle with drama enthusiasts from other lands.
  English language became the fashionable tongue, and Welsh native arts went into decline.
  Most of the passengers cannot speak each other's native tongues and so virtually all of the dialogue is in English.
  Synonyms
  language, dialect, patois, vernacular, mother tongue, native tongue, jargon, argot, cant, pidgin, creole, lingua franca
  speech, parlance
  informal lingo, patter
3A strip of leather or fabric under the laces in a shoe, attached only at the front end.
Example sentencesExamples
- This pair of shoes features contrast stitching and textures, a removable padded tongue and comfortable rubber sole.
- What's stupider, putting extra tongues in your shoes or trying to skate in extra-tight women's pants?
- This site suggests baby powder, between the tongue and the upper or, if you can peel it back, beneath the inner sole.
- If after tying the shoe, less than an inch of the tongue shows, the shoes are probably too wide.
- Thanks to an elastic band that connects the shoe's tongue to the sidewalls and a heel cup with a notch for your Achilles tendon, the fit is superb.
- At breakfast, he's wearing shoes with enormous tongues, loose-fitting trousers and an oversized shirt.
- The buckle has a cast pewter frame with a hinge element between the buckle sides, and both the tongue and strap were attached to the center bar.
- And did I mention the padded tongues and the air in the sole?
- So we added more cushioning protection with a zoom air sock liner and we added a little more padding to the tongue which didn't take away from the aesthetics or the heritage of the shoe.
- Different models of the shoe had different pump systems, which were integrated into the tongue of the shoe.
1. 3.1 The pin of a buckle.
4The free-swinging metal piece inside a bell which is made to strike the bell to produce the sound.
Example sentencesExamples
- To this the young devotees made their way, and after fastening cords to the bell's tongue they tossed ropes to their aiders and abettors below.
- Here, he refers to the swinging of a bell in which the lip, arch, or "bow" of the bell rises up to one side, and then meets the bell's "tongue," or chime.
- The tongue of the bell should weigh 1/20 the weight of the bell.
5A long, low promontory of land.
Example sentencesExamples
- Like York, the commercial focus developed on a tongue of land between two rivers.
- The Wakhan, a tongue of land in Afghanistan's north-east, touches China.
- Beneath the cries of curlews, low tongues of land balance precariously between sea and marsh.
- Marshy tongues of land determined property lines more than geometric principles of land settlement.
Synonyms
promontory, headland, point, head, foreland, cape, peninsula, bluff, ness, naze, horn, spit
6A projecting strip on a wooden board fitting into a groove on another.
Example sentencesExamples
- Her tread shook the very tongues in their grooves.
- Then remove the board and spread carpenter's glue on the tongues and grooves of the new and old pieces.
- With a cedar floor, installation consists of interlocking tongues and grooves and fastening the material to the floor.
- It is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank.
- Starting with the tongue of the board, place the fabric top over the batting and layers and continue to the end of the board.
- A partner helps secure the board while the nailer bends backward pushing the groove hard onto the tongue with one hand and driving the nail in with the other.
- Engage the tongue and grooves of the tiles as you lay them next to each other, but don't slide them into place.
- Also chisel off the tongue of the board protruding into the space.
- Rather, insert the tongue into the groove and adjust into final position.
- Tongue and groove boards are installed perpendicular to the furring strips, and are either face-nailed or blind-nailed through the tongues.
- The last piece, next to the intersecting wall, should be cut to size and its tongue slipped into the groove of the adjacent board.
- When you put a laminate floor in the bathroom, use a little bit of glue on the tongue and on the groove just to make sure we have a really tight, moisture-proof seal.
7The vibrating reed of a musical instrument or organ pipe.
8A jet of flame.
a tongue of flame flashed from the gun
Example sentencesExamples
- The moment the blade touched it, it flared into flame, sending tongues of fire up the blade.
- We know there was a gush of wind and tongues of flame flickering over the heads of the apostles.
- She sat on the other side of the fire, gazing at me through the tongues of yellow flame.
- The logs in the fireplace snapped with thick orange and red tongues of flame, spreading warmth through my living room, along with light, now that the power had gone out.
- Even the garden was engulfed by mocking, dancing tongues of flame.
- The fire crackled in the night as tongues of flames licked the underside of the fish roasting on the spit.
- Huge tongues of flames, the source of which is disputed, licked the last traces of life from the once flourishing township.
- These people must have been chased by the roaring tongues of flames that caught them here.
- Black smoke rolled in heavy clouds; flames rose in great tongues to the sky - the water was covered with black oil.
- From time to time, the wind changed direction so that you had to leap back to avoid a sudden tongue of flame curling back towards you.
- The result was quite spectacular, as huge tongues of flame would shoot out of the openings, much like lava from an erupting volcano.
- Flames like tongues of fire engulfed the farmhouse, porch and all, angry, cracking flames that left no exit.
- Trees, rocks and soil had all been uprooted, and flickering tongues of flame dotted the landscape.
- In a Pentecost scene an apostle at the rear of the group was raising his arm to fend off the tongue of flame, like a man attacked by a bee.
- I still hear the screams of terrified people through the hissing of fire, still see tongues of flame rear high into a night sky, darkened even more by heavy black smoke.
- Bright tongues of flame jumped high into the sky, trying to lick the clouds.
- Two minutes later, Watson was back, looking over at the window, where tongues of flame were licking up the curtain.
- The fire by this time had conquered all before it, and at seven o'clock in the morning the roof fell in with a terrible crash, shooting up into the sky fierce tongues of fire and myriads of burning sparks.
- Pieces of it litter the ground, lit by bright tongues of flame.
- His head rolled a little to the side, and he found himself staring into the roaring fire, captivated by the flickering golden tongues of flame.

verbtongues, tonguing, tongued tʌŋtəŋ

[with object]

1Music
Sound (a note) distinctly on a wind instrument by interrupting the air flow with the tongue.
Eugene has worked out the correct tonguing
2Lick or caress with the tongue.
the other horse tongued every part of the colt's mane
Example sentencesExamples
- I can't help myself; I tongue the cylinder, trying to suck food from an invisible cavity.
- She spots Bruno staring at her, and gives him a ‘come-on’ look while provocatively tonguing her ice cream cone.
- They fire off blasts of shockwave soul-punk that makes you feel like you just tongued an electrical socket.
- But I can feel it lurking, like an irritating piece of meat stuck in your back teeth that you keep tonguing but can't get out.
- Whether you've got two front teeth or ten, the shiny, happy, I-just-left-the-dentist's office feeling will have you tonguing the backs and fronts of your teeth all day.
- She smiled at his playfulness and bit into an apple, tonguing a bit of sweet juice that threatened to run down the side of her lip.
- Butterflies feast on her delicate wares: one hangs upside-down on wispy legs as it tongues a rosebud.
- A hippo, you know, tongues you to death, you know what I mean?
- She tongued the inside of her cheek and tasted blood.
- In some ways, the whole process feels like tonguing a bad tooth when you're too scared of going to the dentist.

Phrases

find (or lose) one's tongue

Be able (or unable) to express oneself after a shock.
she found her tongue and shakily voiced her only fear
lost your tongue?
Example sentencesExamples
- I quickly found my tongue and responded indignantly.
- Rena slowly enters the elevator, and when the doors close behind her she finds her tongue.
- Carson stood stuttering for a moment, and then suddenly found his tongue.
- He was able to find his tongue again and struggle out a simple thank you to the elderly woman.
- The allegation stunned us all but Hayley managed to find her tongue before Terry and me.
- By the time she finally found her tongue, he had dragged her half the length of the alley.
- After a moment's pause, Louise found her tongue.
- Morgan finally found his tongue, and called out after her.
- Only after he escorted her onto the dance floor did she find her tongue.
- I think it's time I proved to myself and to those around me that I haven't lost my tongue just yet.

get one's tongue round

Pronounce (words)
she found it very difficult to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words
Example sentencesExamples
- No, they used the local equivalent to Cockney slang and it took me quite a while to get my tongue round it.
- I was still at school when it came out, we all knew the lyrics then, but I can't get my tongue round them now.
- Maori names can be difficult to get your tongue round and my mind blends similar names into one.
- I could not get my tongue around the sounds of that beautiful language.
- Although we are still trying to get our tongue round the names of the food and drink, the restaurant offers good value and competently executed cooking, and style to aspire to.
- This was extraordinary behaviour, as she was not academic, and yet her ability to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words was the best in the class.
- As I had only been learning Spanish for 2 years at University in Scotland, I hadn't quite got my tongue round the lingo.
- Tina's Chinese, but she was born and raised in England and in fact she's more of an English rose, she only recently managed to get her tongue round Hong Kong's Cantonese.
- But way back, when I was a baby, and Jo a toddler, she could never manage to get her tongue round Tobias, and the nearest she ever got to it was Tabby.
- She struggles to get her tongue round the words.

the gift of tongues

The power of speaking in unknown languages, regarded as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
Example sentencesExamples
- For many at Corinth and other Pauline cities, being moved by the Spirit meant having the gift of tongues or miracles or healing or prophecy.
- Having said this it is important to distinguish between the gift of tongues when revealed in private between only the person and God, or the gift when revealed in the presence of many.
- Love mandates that all utterances be interpreted for the community, so that the gift of tongues will no longer divide God's church, but will instead contribute to its unity in Christ.
- If there was no Scripture translated into that language, might God grant the gift of tongues to a missionary so that the people would be able to hear the gospel?
- This descent was marked by the gift of tongues, and St. Peter is recorded in Acts as seeing in this the new dispensation that had been prophesied by Joel.

give tongue

1(of hounds) bark, especially on finding a scent.
the dogs spotted him and gave tongue
Example sentencesExamples
- The unseen hounds gave tongue; the clamor of the beaters grew louder.
1. 1.1Express one's feelings or opinions freely.
  her mother stood behind her, giving tongue: ‘He's got you on the end of a string, that fellow!’

keep a civil tongue in one's head

Speak politely.
Example sentencesExamples
- And you'll keep a civil tongue in your head until we're all through with each other.
- I don't care if the other countries do it - you're not living in another country, you're living in this one, and as long as you do I'll expect you to keep a civil tongue in your head.
- I hardly know what to say, given this new and unfamiliar policy of keeping a civil tongue in my head.
- You keep a civil tongue in your head young man!
- Please sir, keep a civil tongue in your head and behave like a gentleman.
- Second, you are to keep a civil tongue in your head especially when addressing your peers.
- You'll keep a civil tongue in your head if you know what's good for you, boy.
- I know you're eager to prove John's worth but do try to keep a civil tongue in your head.
- When he's ready to keep a civil tongue in his head and email me an apology, he's welcome back.

(with) tongue in cheek

Speaking or writing in an ironic or insincere way.
one suspects that he is writing with tongue in cheek
his tongue is still tucked firmly in his cheek
Example sentencesExamples
- Remarks like that, no doubt tongue in cheek, are unlikely to calm things.
- The topic was chosen to some extent with tongue in cheek, not least because neither I nor my audience would be around in 800 years to verify the accuracy of my predictions.
- If that last comment was intended to be tongue in cheek, the others certainly were not.
- Certainly his comments about correct spelling and grammer must be tongue in cheek.
- My own favourite notice from the same era was one written by my Oxford College authorities, doubtless with tongue in cheek.
- I know I've been talking about the collapse of Japanese society recently, but it was tongue in cheek.
- An uncle of Niamh and Peter heard the youngsters playing and said, initially with tongue in cheek, that they should make a CD.
- The trouble with me is most of the things I say are tongue in cheek, very flippant.
- I'm not really a fan, I don't find him that funny, so I was a little dubious about it, but it was great, very camp, cheesy and tongue in cheek!
- The question was rather tongue in cheek, but it certainly provoked conversation.
Synonyms
playful, in jest, joking, jokey, as a joke, tongue in cheek, light-hearted, high-spirited, unserious, facetious, flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, for a laugh

someone's tongue is hanging out

Someone is very eager for something.
I'm going to have a whisky—my tongue's hanging out
Example sentencesExamples
- After seeing some of the sets, my tongue is hanging out and I am drooling on the keyboard.
- I haven't got very far into the book but my tongue is hanging out to learn more about the political scene on Jersey.
- We have returned as often as possible and my tongue is hanging out right now.
- My tongue is hanging out looking at these lovely dishes.
- There are so many delicious treats that my tongue is hanging out.
- I'm waiting on a cheque, my tongue is hanging out for this cheque and the list of things to spend it on is getting longer.

Derivatives

tongueless

adjective ˈtʌŋləsˈtəŋləs

There are about 6 to 14 species of tongueless, aquatic African frogs.
Example sentencesExamples
- One sickening moment which springs to mind is the bit in ‘Titus’ when we see the mutilated Lavinia for the first time, in all her handless, tongueless glory.
- With their large tongueless mouths, they'll eat anything, even birds.

Origin

Old English tunge, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tong, German Zunge, and Latin lingua.

Despite the difference in spelling, the Old English word tongue is ultimately related to Latin lingua, the source of lingo and language. In the 18th century to put your tongue in your cheek meant ‘to speak insincerely’. This came from a contemptuous gesture which involved poking your tongue in your cheek, and led to the expression tongue in cheek, ‘in an ironic or insincere way’. When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit after the ascent of Jesus into heaven, they were given the gift of tongues, the power of speaking in unknown languages. Members of Pentecostal churches believe that they, like the Apostles, can speak in tongues.

Rhymes

among, bung, clung, dung, flung, hung, lung, outflung, rung, shantung, slung, sprung, strung, stung, sung, swung, underslung, wrung, young

Definition of tongue in US English:

tongue

nountəŋtəNG

1The fleshy muscular organ in the mouth of a mammal, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and (in humans) articulating speech.
Example sentencesExamples
- To take an oral reading, place the thermometer in the child's mouth under the tongue.
- In severe cases, oral herpes causes sores that spread from the lips to the inside of the mouth, along the tongue and cheeks to the back of the throat.
- The seal has a big, fat, fleshy tongue and nostrils and a larynx very much like ours.
- It took three swallows for her tongue and throat to start working again.
- The tongue and mucous membranes lose their glistening appearance and the buccal mucosa becomes sticky.
- Common sites for barbell-style jewelry are the ear, eyebrow, tongue, and navel.
- The digestive system includes the mouth, teeth, tongue, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.
- In a swallow, the tongue presses the bolus into the pharynx.
- The discovery of a specific taste receptor on the human tongue for glutamates in 2000 legitimized its existence as a basic flavor.
- Call your doctor if you have sores in your mouth, on your tongue, or on your lips.
- The oral cavity with the tongue, the pharynx and esophagus constitute the swallowing organ.
- Swallowing, which is accomplished by muscle movements in the tongue and mouth, moves the food into the throat, or pharynx.
- Cool water dribbled on his lips, and he opened his mouth, moistening his tongue and swallowing.
- As you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat and roof of your mouth relax.
- This deficiency is associated with anemia, a sore mouth and tongue and poor growth and spinal cord problems in newborn children.
- The most serious symptom is the swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, face and throat.
- You put them in your mouth at bedtime to keep your tongue and jaw forward during sleep.
- A bundle of muscles extends from the floor of the mouth to form the tongue.
- Look out for vomit blocking the airway and check that the patient has not swallowed their tongue.
- Patients are also at risk for cancers of the brain, lung, stomach, tongue, and melanoma of the eye, and leukemia.
1. 1.1 The equivalent organ in other vertebrates, sometimes used (in snakes) as a scent organ or (in chameleons) for catching food.
  Example sentencesExamples
  In most vertebrates the hyoid supports the tongue, as it does in the snake-necked turtle.
  They feed mainly on leaves of acacia and mimosa, using their 450mm extendable tongues and mobile lips to secure their food.
  These snakes are roughly cylindrical, and if their small forked tongues didn't flick in and out, it would be hard to tell one end from the other.
  Their bills are adapted for removing seeds from cones, and they start at the bottom of a cone and spiral upward, prying open each scale and removing the seeds with their tongues.
  Like pangolins, aardvarks have a long, protrusile tongue and a gizzard-like stomach.
  In all squamates, including iguanians, the tongue is also used for vomeronasal chemoreception.
  Dramatic decreases are believed to occur when tissues under the tongues of green frogs become inflamed and are sloughed.
  Although their tongues are large, they do not protrude them beyond the threshold of the jaws.
  Instead, they transfer compounds from their tongues into two elaborate sensory receptors known as the vomeronasal organs.
  When collecting seeds to cache, a bird can store as many as 90 seeds in a pouch behind its tongue.
  Geese, of course, do not rely on this tongue for getting food into the mouth, so the hyoid apparatus tends to be simple, but powerful.
  Recent modeling studies have focused on systems such as vertebrate jaws, limbs, tongues and tentacles and axial muscle.
  Dissection of chameleon tongues revealed an elastic collagen tissue sandwiched between the tongue bone and the accelerator muscle.
  White many other kinds of lizards can extend their tongues to seize small prey, only chameleons have evolved a powerful suction device: a pouch on the lingual tip.
  When snakes flick their tongues in and out, they pick up chemical cues from the air, which they transfer to a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth.
  During the ascent it smartly taps the bark, prising off fragments and frequently extracting food from crevices with the tip of its sticky tongue.
  The tongue contacts the food item forcefully, pushing it down into the papillae, maximizing the area of contact.
  Similarly, control of the anuran tongue is achieved largely through its mechanical relationship with the lower jaw.
  Parents carry plankton to the chick in a pouch under their tongue.
  It actually functions as a tongue and sends food down the fish's throat.
2. 1.2 An analogous organ in insects, formed from some of the mouthparts and used in feeding.
3. 1.3 The tongue of a hoofed mammal, in particular an ox or lamb, as food.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Soak tongue in cold running water for three to four hours.
  We were served salad, tongue, filled peppers and that's where I stopped.
  For supper we'd have things that people would never dream of eating now, like cold tongue or herrings' roe on toast.
  Add tongue; simmer for three to four hours or until tender.
  Just like potato chips, crackers, pickled eggs, popcorn and tongue, les pattes de porc are designed to leave you begging for beer.
  A Chilean Merlot or a decent Beaujolais is the best partner for liver, tongue, sausage and ham.
  But don't forget oxtail and tongue, both of which will probably need to be ordered specially.
  At 2.39 leva the Stara Planina salad is a slightly less ostentatious plate of tongue, sausage, tomato, cheese and olives.
  These berries are considered to be a fine accompaniment for buffalo steaks or tongue, an affinity which accounts for their common name.
  Cut the beef tongue and foie gras into six slices and reserve.
  I had braised beef tongue with ragout of porcini mushroom and white beans, with a soft poached egg laid on top.
  Perhaps horse would do, or tongue, or pork, or some sort of bird.
  The statement also said the latest cases were likely caused by the consumption of tainted pork tongue in jelly.
  It might be impossible to move an entire case of tongue or oxtail or side of lamb unless the person requesting it buys at least half.
  No word on what he thought of such delicacies as the black pepper donuts and the Kobe beef tongue.
  Pound per metric pound, it's cheaper to buy rump steak than it is pork tongue.
  Stir in the remaining pork tongue, chili paste and miso.
  I try desperately not to cringe when offered tongue, frog's legs and pig's trotters, and I eat them, every time.
  If you're not in the sandwich mood, they do have other items on the menu, including pork tongue with a red pepper sauce which was quite tasty.
  These were duly consumed by the 160 residents, together with ham and tongue and 500 fancy cakes.
2Used in reference to a person's style or manner of speaking.
he was a redoubtable debater with a caustic tongue
Example sentencesExamples
- She had a distaste for the world and she showed it with a general lack of emotion and sharp tongue laced with venomous words.
- Jesters of the past, though figures of fun at the royal court, were often highly intelligent men whose quick wit and sharp tongue both diverted the monarch and reminded him of his mortality.
- A caustic wit, a penetrating eye, a stiletto tongue that enjoyed drawing blood, she wasn't everyone's cup of tea.
- When something about the magic act goes wrong, a glib tongue and a humorous manner can do much to gloss over the slip so that people do not notice that anything is amiss.
- I cannot let Aoife's caustic tongue spoil this experience for me.
Synonyms
manner of speaking, way of speaking, manner of talking, way of talking, form of expression, mode of expression, choice of words, verbal expression
1. 2.1 A particular language.
  the prioress chatted to the peddler in a strange tongue
  Example sentencesExamples
  Along with Czech and Polish, it is classified as a western Slavic tongue in the Indo-European language family.
  Then we heard several men's voices at once, speaking in a strange tongue, with the same flat, broad tone, and I heard for the first time the native speech of the Danes.
  Most of the passengers cannot speak each other's native tongues and so virtually all of the dialogue is in English.
  The drive has to come from the students who choose to speak their native tongue instead of a language that everyone understands.
  They converse in strange tongues, using words and expressions that are totally alien to me.
  They shout in strange tongues - not English, not Hindi.
  It is presently marketed in the native tongues of Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Holland and Argentina, and in English in most western European countries.
  Some of us learned the lesson quickly and laughed at our classmates who were less adept at English and slow to drop their native tongues.
  Modern walkers love to travel, and many long for the diversion of strange lands and foreign tongues.
  It is used by more people than any other language, mostly as a second language, not a native tongue.
  About 7 or 8 percent also speak an Amerindian language as their native tongue.
  The Chamorros and Carolinians are largely multilingual, speaking their native tongues, English, and Japanese.
  For example, many of the research labs are staffed by Asians who prefer to speak in their native tongues.
  Between the four soldiers in the back of the Land Rover there are four languages, Nepalese and English are common tongues and there are two caste languages which they don't all understand.
  East Timor comes across as a series of lands within a land, with different tongues and customs.
  There are several local tongues, like the language of my people, the Hehe, and the official language Swahili, and English.
  For Bulgarians, it's the chance to practice delivering lines not in your native tongue - and to mingle with drama enthusiasts from other lands.
  English language became the fashionable tongue, and Welsh native arts went into decline.
  None of the inhabitants spoke French as a native tongue, and few understood it.
  None of the crossover Scandinavian rockers sing in their native tongues, but Sweden's biggest band does.
  Synonyms
  language, dialect, patois, vernacular, mother tongue, native tongue, jargon, argot, cant, pidgin, creole, lingua franca
2. 2.2tongues
  see the gift of tongues below
3A strip of leather or fabric under the laces in a shoe, attached only at the front end.
Example sentencesExamples
- This site suggests baby powder, between the tongue and the upper or, if you can peel it back, beneath the inner sole.
- Different models of the shoe had different pump systems, which were integrated into the tongue of the shoe.
- What's stupider, putting extra tongues in your shoes or trying to skate in extra-tight women's pants?
- This pair of shoes features contrast stitching and textures, a removable padded tongue and comfortable rubber sole.
- Thanks to an elastic band that connects the shoe's tongue to the sidewalls and a heel cup with a notch for your Achilles tendon, the fit is superb.
- At breakfast, he's wearing shoes with enormous tongues, loose-fitting trousers and an oversized shirt.
- So we added more cushioning protection with a zoom air sock liner and we added a little more padding to the tongue which didn't take away from the aesthetics or the heritage of the shoe.
- If after tying the shoe, less than an inch of the tongue shows, the shoes are probably too wide.
- And did I mention the padded tongues and the air in the sole?
- The buckle has a cast pewter frame with a hinge element between the buckle sides, and both the tongue and strap were attached to the center bar.
1. 3.1 The pin of a buckle.
4The free-swinging metal piece inside a bell which is made to strike the bell to produce the sound.
Example sentencesExamples
- To this the young devotees made their way, and after fastening cords to the bell's tongue they tossed ropes to their aiders and abettors below.
- The tongue of the bell should weigh 1/20 the weight of the bell.
- Here, he refers to the swinging of a bell in which the lip, arch, or "bow" of the bell rises up to one side, and then meets the bell's "tongue," or chime.
5A long, low promontory of land.
Example sentencesExamples
- Beneath the cries of curlews, low tongues of land balance precariously between sea and marsh.
- Marshy tongues of land determined property lines more than geometric principles of land settlement.
- The Wakhan, a tongue of land in Afghanistan's north-east, touches China.
- Like York, the commercial focus developed on a tongue of land between two rivers.
Synonyms
promontory, headland, point, head, foreland, cape, peninsula, bluff, ness, naze, horn, spit
6A projecting strip on a wooden board fitting into a groove on another.
Example sentencesExamples
- Starting with the tongue of the board, place the fabric top over the batting and layers and continue to the end of the board.
- When you put a laminate floor in the bathroom, use a little bit of glue on the tongue and on the groove just to make sure we have a really tight, moisture-proof seal.
- A partner helps secure the board while the nailer bends backward pushing the groove hard onto the tongue with one hand and driving the nail in with the other.
- Tongue and groove boards are installed perpendicular to the furring strips, and are either face-nailed or blind-nailed through the tongues.
- With a cedar floor, installation consists of interlocking tongues and grooves and fastening the material to the floor.
- The last piece, next to the intersecting wall, should be cut to size and its tongue slipped into the groove of the adjacent board.
- Also chisel off the tongue of the board protruding into the space.
- It is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank.
- Rather, insert the tongue into the groove and adjust into final position.
- Her tread shook the very tongues in their grooves.
- Engage the tongue and grooves of the tiles as you lay them next to each other, but don't slide them into place.
- Then remove the board and spread carpenter's glue on the tongues and grooves of the new and old pieces.
7The vibrating reed of a musical instrument or organ pipe.
8A jet of flame.
a tongue of flame flashes four feet from the gun
Example sentencesExamples
- In a Pentecost scene an apostle at the rear of the group was raising his arm to fend off the tongue of flame, like a man attacked by a bee.
- The result was quite spectacular, as huge tongues of flame would shoot out of the openings, much like lava from an erupting volcano.
- Two minutes later, Watson was back, looking over at the window, where tongues of flame were licking up the curtain.
- We know there was a gush of wind and tongues of flame flickering over the heads of the apostles.
- Huge tongues of flames, the source of which is disputed, licked the last traces of life from the once flourishing township.
- The fire by this time had conquered all before it, and at seven o'clock in the morning the roof fell in with a terrible crash, shooting up into the sky fierce tongues of fire and myriads of burning sparks.
- From time to time, the wind changed direction so that you had to leap back to avoid a sudden tongue of flame curling back towards you.
- Pieces of it litter the ground, lit by bright tongues of flame.
- Trees, rocks and soil had all been uprooted, and flickering tongues of flame dotted the landscape.
- Black smoke rolled in heavy clouds; flames rose in great tongues to the sky - the water was covered with black oil.
- Bright tongues of flame jumped high into the sky, trying to lick the clouds.
- She sat on the other side of the fire, gazing at me through the tongues of yellow flame.
- Even the garden was engulfed by mocking, dancing tongues of flame.
- His head rolled a little to the side, and he found himself staring into the roaring fire, captivated by the flickering golden tongues of flame.
- These people must have been chased by the roaring tongues of flames that caught them here.
- The moment the blade touched it, it flared into flame, sending tongues of fire up the blade.
- The fire crackled in the night as tongues of flames licked the underside of the fish roasting on the spit.
- Flames like tongues of fire engulfed the farmhouse, porch and all, angry, cracking flames that left no exit.
- The logs in the fireplace snapped with thick orange and red tongues of flame, spreading warmth through my living room, along with light, now that the power had gone out.
- I still hear the screams of terrified people through the hissing of fire, still see tongues of flame rear high into a night sky, darkened even more by heavy black smoke.

verbtəŋtəNG

[with object]

1Music
Sound (a note) distinctly on a wind instrument by interrupting the air flow with the tongue.
2Lick or caress with the tongue.
the other horse tongued every part of the colt's mane
Example sentencesExamples
- She smiled at his playfulness and bit into an apple, tonguing a bit of sweet juice that threatened to run down the side of her lip.
- In some ways, the whole process feels like tonguing a bad tooth when you're too scared of going to the dentist.
- Butterflies feast on her delicate wares: one hangs upside-down on wispy legs as it tongues a rosebud.
- But I can feel it lurking, like an irritating piece of meat stuck in your back teeth that you keep tonguing but can't get out.
- I can't help myself; I tongue the cylinder, trying to suck food from an invisible cavity.
- She tongued the inside of her cheek and tasted blood.
- Whether you've got two front teeth or ten, the shiny, happy, I-just-left-the-dentist's office feeling will have you tonguing the backs and fronts of your teeth all day.
- They fire off blasts of shockwave soul-punk that makes you feel like you just tongued an electrical socket.
- A hippo, you know, tongues you to death, you know what I mean?
- She spots Bruno staring at her, and gives him a ‘come-on’ look while provocatively tonguing her ice cream cone.

Phrases

find (or lose) one's tongue

Be able (or unable) to express oneself after a shock.
Example sentencesExamples
- I think it's time I proved to myself and to those around me that I haven't lost my tongue just yet.
- After a moment's pause, Louise found her tongue.
- The allegation stunned us all but Hayley managed to find her tongue before Terry and me.
- Carson stood stuttering for a moment, and then suddenly found his tongue.
- I quickly found my tongue and responded indignantly.
- Rena slowly enters the elevator, and when the doors close behind her she finds her tongue.
- He was able to find his tongue again and struggle out a simple thank you to the elderly woman.
- Morgan finally found his tongue, and called out after her.
- Only after he escorted her onto the dance floor did she find her tongue.
- By the time she finally found her tongue, he had dragged her half the length of the alley.

the gift of tongues

The power of speaking in unknown languages, regarded as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
Example sentencesExamples
- Love mandates that all utterances be interpreted for the community, so that the gift of tongues will no longer divide God's church, but will instead contribute to its unity in Christ.
- This descent was marked by the gift of tongues, and St. Peter is recorded in Acts as seeing in this the new dispensation that had been prophesied by Joel.
- For many at Corinth and other Pauline cities, being moved by the Spirit meant having the gift of tongues or miracles or healing or prophecy.
- If there was no Scripture translated into that language, might God grant the gift of tongues to a missionary so that the people would be able to hear the gospel?
- Having said this it is important to distinguish between the gift of tongues when revealed in private between only the person and God, or the gift when revealed in the presence of many.

give tongue

1(of hounds) bark, especially on finding a scent.
Example sentencesExamples
- The unseen hounds gave tongue; the clamor of the beaters grew louder.
1. 1.1Express one's feelings or opinions freely, sometimes objectionably so.

keep a civil tongue in one's head

Speak politely.
Example sentencesExamples
- Please sir, keep a civil tongue in your head and behave like a gentleman.
- I hardly know what to say, given this new and unfamiliar policy of keeping a civil tongue in my head.
- You'll keep a civil tongue in your head if you know what's good for you, boy.
- And you'll keep a civil tongue in your head until we're all through with each other.
- You keep a civil tongue in your head young man!
- When he's ready to keep a civil tongue in his head and email me an apology, he's welcome back.
- Second, you are to keep a civil tongue in your head especially when addressing your peers.
- I know you're eager to prove John's worth but do try to keep a civil tongue in your head.
- I don't care if the other countries do it - you're not living in another country, you're living in this one, and as long as you do I'll expect you to keep a civil tongue in your head.

(with) tongue in cheek

Without really meaning what one is saying or writing.
Example sentencesExamples
- I know I've been talking about the collapse of Japanese society recently, but it was tongue in cheek.
- The trouble with me is most of the things I say are tongue in cheek, very flippant.
- I'm not really a fan, I don't find him that funny, so I was a little dubious about it, but it was great, very camp, cheesy and tongue in cheek!
- Remarks like that, no doubt tongue in cheek, are unlikely to calm things.
- My own favourite notice from the same era was one written by my Oxford College authorities, doubtless with tongue in cheek.
- The topic was chosen to some extent with tongue in cheek, not least because neither I nor my audience would be around in 800 years to verify the accuracy of my predictions.
- Certainly his comments about correct spelling and grammer must be tongue in cheek.
- An uncle of Niamh and Peter heard the youngsters playing and said, initially with tongue in cheek, that they should make a CD.
- The question was rather tongue in cheek, but it certainly provoked conversation.
- If that last comment was intended to be tongue in cheek, the others certainly were not.
Synonyms
playful, in jest, joking, jokey, as a joke, tongue in cheek, light-hearted, high-spirited, unserious, facetious, flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, for a laugh

someone's tongue is hanging out

Someone is very eager for something.
the tabloids have their tongues hanging out for this stuff
Example sentencesExamples
- After seeing some of the sets, my tongue is hanging out and I am drooling on the keyboard.
- My tongue is hanging out looking at these lovely dishes.
- I'm waiting on a cheque, my tongue is hanging out for this cheque and the list of things to spend it on is getting longer.
- We have returned as often as possible and my tongue is hanging out right now.
- I haven't got very far into the book but my tongue is hanging out to learn more about the political scene on Jersey.
- There are so many delicious treats that my tongue is hanging out.

get one's tongue around

Pronounce (words)
she found it very difficult to get her tongue around the unfamiliar words
Example sentencesExamples
- Although we are still trying to get our tongue round the names of the food and drink, the restaurant offers good value and competently executed cooking, and style to aspire to.
- No, they used the local equivalent to Cockney slang and it took me quite a while to get my tongue round it.
- But way back, when I was a baby, and Jo a toddler, she could never manage to get her tongue round Tobias, and the nearest she ever got to it was Tabby.
- She struggles to get her tongue round the words.
- This was extraordinary behaviour, as she was not academic, and yet her ability to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words was the best in the class.
- As I had only been learning Spanish for 2 years at University in Scotland, I hadn't quite got my tongue round the lingo.
- Tina's Chinese, but she was born and raised in England and in fact she's more of an English rose, she only recently managed to get her tongue round Hong Kong's Cantonese.
- I could not get my tongue around the sounds of that beautiful language.
- Maori names can be difficult to get your tongue round and my mind blends similar names into one.
- I was still at school when it came out, we all knew the lyrics then, but I can't get my tongue round them now.

Origin

Old English tunge, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tong, German Zunge, and Latin lingua.

单词	tongue
释义	Definition of tongue in English: tongue nounPlural tongues tʌŋtəŋ 1The fleshy muscular organ in the mouth of a mammal, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and (in humans) articulating speech. Example sentencesExamples As you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat and roof of your mouth relax. Common sites for barbell-style jewelry are the ear, eyebrow, tongue, and navel. To take an oral reading, place the thermometer in the child's mouth under the tongue. The digestive system includes the mouth, teeth, tongue, esophagus, stomach, and intestines. In a swallow, the tongue presses the bolus into the pharynx. The discovery of a specific taste receptor on the human tongue for glutamates in 2000 legitimized its existence as a basic flavor. This deficiency is associated with anemia, a sore mouth and tongue and poor growth and spinal cord problems in newborn children. The seal has a big, fat, fleshy tongue and nostrils and a larynx very much like ours. You put them in your mouth at bedtime to keep your tongue and jaw forward during sleep. In severe cases, oral herpes causes sores that spread from the lips to the inside of the mouth, along the tongue and cheeks to the back of the throat. A bundle of muscles extends from the floor of the mouth to form the tongue. Patients are also at risk for cancers of the brain, lung, stomach, tongue, and melanoma of the eye, and leukemia. Swallowing, which is accomplished by muscle movements in the tongue and mouth, moves the food into the throat, or pharynx. The most serious symptom is the swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, face and throat. The oral cavity with the tongue, the pharynx and esophagus constitute the swallowing organ. Look out for vomit blocking the airway and check that the patient has not swallowed their tongue. Cool water dribbled on his lips, and he opened his mouth, moistening his tongue and swallowing. The tongue and mucous membranes lose their glistening appearance and the buccal mucosa becomes sticky. It took three swallows for her tongue and throat to start working again. Call your doctor if you have sores in your mouth, on your tongue, or on your lips. 1.1 The equivalent organ in other vertebrates, sometimes used (in snakes) as a scent organ or (in chameleons) for catching food. Example sentencesExamples Instead, they transfer compounds from their tongues into two elaborate sensory receptors known as the vomeronasal organs. White many other kinds of lizards can extend their tongues to seize small prey, only chameleons have evolved a powerful suction device: a pouch on the lingual tip. It actually functions as a tongue and sends food down the fish's throat. Like pangolins, aardvarks have a long, protrusile tongue and a gizzard-like stomach. These snakes are roughly cylindrical, and if their small forked tongues didn't flick in and out, it would be hard to tell one end from the other. The tongue contacts the food item forcefully, pushing it down into the papillae, maximizing the area of contact. Geese, of course, do not rely on this tongue for getting food into the mouth, so the hyoid apparatus tends to be simple, but powerful. Dissection of chameleon tongues revealed an elastic collagen tissue sandwiched between the tongue bone and the accelerator muscle. In all squamates, including iguanians, the tongue is also used for vomeronasal chemoreception. Dramatic decreases are believed to occur when tissues under the tongues of green frogs become inflamed and are sloughed. When snakes flick their tongues in and out, they pick up chemical cues from the air, which they transfer to a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth. Parents carry plankton to the chick in a pouch under their tongue. During the ascent it smartly taps the bark, prising off fragments and frequently extracting food from crevices with the tip of its sticky tongue. In most vertebrates the hyoid supports the tongue, as it does in the snake-necked turtle. Although their tongues are large, they do not protrude them beyond the threshold of the jaws. They feed mainly on leaves of acacia and mimosa, using their 450mm extendable tongues and mobile lips to secure their food. Recent modeling studies have focused on systems such as vertebrate jaws, limbs, tongues and tentacles and axial muscle. When collecting seeds to cache, a bird can store as many as 90 seeds in a pouch behind its tongue. Their bills are adapted for removing seeds from cones, and they start at the bottom of a cone and spiral upward, prying open each scale and removing the seeds with their tongues. Similarly, control of the anuran tongue is achieved largely through its mechanical relationship with the lower jaw. 1.2 An analogous organ in insects, formed from some of the mouthparts and used in feeding. 1.3mass noun The tongue of an ox or lamb as food. a galantine of tongue Example sentencesExamples But don't forget oxtail and tongue, both of which will probably need to be ordered specially. Pound per metric pound, it's cheaper to buy rump steak than it is pork tongue. At 2.39 leva the Stara Planina salad is a slightly less ostentatious plate of tongue, sausage, tomato, cheese and olives. Cut the beef tongue and foie gras into six slices and reserve. I try desperately not to cringe when offered tongue, frog's legs and pig's trotters, and I eat them, every time. For supper we'd have things that people would never dream of eating now, like cold tongue or herrings' roe on toast. The statement also said the latest cases were likely caused by the consumption of tainted pork tongue in jelly. Soak tongue in cold running water for three to four hours. Stir in the remaining pork tongue, chili paste and miso. These berries are considered to be a fine accompaniment for buffalo steaks or tongue, an affinity which accounts for their common name. These were duly consumed by the 160 residents, together with ham and tongue and 500 fancy cakes. Just like potato chips, crackers, pickled eggs, popcorn and tongue, les pattes de porc are designed to leave you begging for beer. I had braised beef tongue with ragout of porcini mushroom and white beans, with a soft poached egg laid on top. Perhaps horse would do, or tongue, or pork, or some sort of bird. Add tongue; simmer for three to four hours or until tender. If you're not in the sandwich mood, they do have other items on the menu, including pork tongue with a red pepper sauce which was quite tasty. It might be impossible to move an entire case of tongue or oxtail or side of lamb unless the person requesting it buys at least half. A Chilean Merlot or a decent Beaujolais is the best partner for liver, tongue, sausage and ham. No word on what he thought of such delicacies as the black pepper donuts and the Kobe beef tongue. We were served salad, tongue, filled peppers and that's where I stopped. 2in singular Used in reference to a person's style or manner of speaking. he was a redoubtable debater with a caustic tongue Example sentencesExamples When something about the magic act goes wrong, a glib tongue and a humorous manner can do much to gloss over the slip so that people do not notice that anything is amiss. I cannot let Aoife's caustic tongue spoil this experience for me. She had a distaste for the world and she showed it with a general lack of emotion and sharp tongue laced with venomous words. A caustic wit, a penetrating eye, a stiletto tongue that enjoyed drawing blood, she wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Jesters of the past, though figures of fun at the royal court, were often highly intelligent men whose quick wit and sharp tongue both diverted the monarch and reminded him of his mortality. Synonyms way/manner of speaking, way/manner of talking, form/mode of expression, choice of words, verbal expression conversation, vocabulary, phraseology, style, parlance, speech French façon de parler 2.1count noun A particular language. the girls were singing in their native tongue Example sentencesExamples About 7 or 8 percent also speak an Amerindian language as their native tongue. It is used by more people than any other language, mostly as a second language, not a native tongue. None of the inhabitants spoke French as a native tongue, and few understood it. East Timor comes across as a series of lands within a land, with different tongues and customs. The drive has to come from the students who choose to speak their native tongue instead of a language that everyone understands. They converse in strange tongues, using words and expressions that are totally alien to me. They shout in strange tongues - not English, not Hindi. Along with Czech and Polish, it is classified as a western Slavic tongue in the Indo-European language family. None of the crossover Scandinavian rockers sing in their native tongues, but Sweden's biggest band does. The Chamorros and Carolinians are largely multilingual, speaking their native tongues, English, and Japanese. Modern walkers love to travel, and many long for the diversion of strange lands and foreign tongues. There are several local tongues, like the language of my people, the Hehe, and the official language Swahili, and English. Between the four soldiers in the back of the Land Rover there are four languages, Nepalese and English are common tongues and there are two caste languages which they don't all understand. Some of us learned the lesson quickly and laughed at our classmates who were less adept at English and slow to drop their native tongues. For example, many of the research labs are staffed by Asians who prefer to speak in their native tongues. Then we heard several men's voices at once, speaking in a strange tongue, with the same flat, broad tone, and I heard for the first time the native speech of the Danes. It is presently marketed in the native tongues of Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Holland and Argentina, and in English in most western European countries. For Bulgarians, it's the chance to practice delivering lines not in your native tongue - and to mingle with drama enthusiasts from other lands. English language became the fashionable tongue, and Welsh native arts went into decline. Most of the passengers cannot speak each other's native tongues and so virtually all of the dialogue is in English. Synonyms language, dialect, patois, vernacular, mother tongue, native tongue, jargon, argot, cant, pidgin, creole, lingua franca speech, parlance informal lingo, patter 3A strip of leather or fabric under the laces in a shoe, attached only at the front end. Example sentencesExamples This pair of shoes features contrast stitching and textures, a removable padded tongue and comfortable rubber sole. What's stupider, putting extra tongues in your shoes or trying to skate in extra-tight women's pants? This site suggests baby powder, between the tongue and the upper or, if you can peel it back, beneath the inner sole. If after tying the shoe, less than an inch of the tongue shows, the shoes are probably too wide. Thanks to an elastic band that connects the shoe's tongue to the sidewalls and a heel cup with a notch for your Achilles tendon, the fit is superb. At breakfast, he's wearing shoes with enormous tongues, loose-fitting trousers and an oversized shirt. The buckle has a cast pewter frame with a hinge element between the buckle sides, and both the tongue and strap were attached to the center bar. And did I mention the padded tongues and the air in the sole? So we added more cushioning protection with a zoom air sock liner and we added a little more padding to the tongue which didn't take away from the aesthetics or the heritage of the shoe. Different models of the shoe had different pump systems, which were integrated into the tongue of the shoe. 3.1 The pin of a buckle. 4The free-swinging metal piece inside a bell which is made to strike the bell to produce the sound. Example sentencesExamples To this the young devotees made their way, and after fastening cords to the bell's tongue they tossed ropes to their aiders and abettors below. Here, he refers to the swinging of a bell in which the lip, arch, or "bow" of the bell rises up to one side, and then meets the bell's "tongue," or chime. The tongue of the bell should weigh 1/20 the weight of the bell. 5A long, low promontory of land. Example sentencesExamples Like York, the commercial focus developed on a tongue of land between two rivers. The Wakhan, a tongue of land in Afghanistan's north-east, touches China. Beneath the cries of curlews, low tongues of land balance precariously between sea and marsh. Marshy tongues of land determined property lines more than geometric principles of land settlement. Synonyms promontory, headland, point, head, foreland, cape, peninsula, bluff, ness, naze, horn, spit 6A projecting strip on a wooden board fitting into a groove on another. Example sentencesExamples Her tread shook the very tongues in their grooves. Then remove the board and spread carpenter's glue on the tongues and grooves of the new and old pieces. With a cedar floor, installation consists of interlocking tongues and grooves and fastening the material to the floor. It is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank. Starting with the tongue of the board, place the fabric top over the batting and layers and continue to the end of the board. A partner helps secure the board while the nailer bends backward pushing the groove hard onto the tongue with one hand and driving the nail in with the other. Engage the tongue and grooves of the tiles as you lay them next to each other, but don't slide them into place. Also chisel off the tongue of the board protruding into the space. Rather, insert the tongue into the groove and adjust into final position. Tongue and groove boards are installed perpendicular to the furring strips, and are either face-nailed or blind-nailed through the tongues. The last piece, next to the intersecting wall, should be cut to size and its tongue slipped into the groove of the adjacent board. When you put a laminate floor in the bathroom, use a little bit of glue on the tongue and on the groove just to make sure we have a really tight, moisture-proof seal. 7The vibrating reed of a musical instrument or organ pipe. 8A jet of flame. a tongue of flame flashed from the gun Example sentencesExamples The moment the blade touched it, it flared into flame, sending tongues of fire up the blade. We know there was a gush of wind and tongues of flame flickering over the heads of the apostles. She sat on the other side of the fire, gazing at me through the tongues of yellow flame. The logs in the fireplace snapped with thick orange and red tongues of flame, spreading warmth through my living room, along with light, now that the power had gone out. Even the garden was engulfed by mocking, dancing tongues of flame. The fire crackled in the night as tongues of flames licked the underside of the fish roasting on the spit. Huge tongues of flames, the source of which is disputed, licked the last traces of life from the once flourishing township. These people must have been chased by the roaring tongues of flames that caught them here. Black smoke rolled in heavy clouds; flames rose in great tongues to the sky - the water was covered with black oil. From time to time, the wind changed direction so that you had to leap back to avoid a sudden tongue of flame curling back towards you. The result was quite spectacular, as huge tongues of flame would shoot out of the openings, much like lava from an erupting volcano. Flames like tongues of fire engulfed the farmhouse, porch and all, angry, cracking flames that left no exit. Trees, rocks and soil had all been uprooted, and flickering tongues of flame dotted the landscape. In a Pentecost scene an apostle at the rear of the group was raising his arm to fend off the tongue of flame, like a man attacked by a bee. I still hear the screams of terrified people through the hissing of fire, still see tongues of flame rear high into a night sky, darkened even more by heavy black smoke. Bright tongues of flame jumped high into the sky, trying to lick the clouds. Two minutes later, Watson was back, looking over at the window, where tongues of flame were licking up the curtain. The fire by this time had conquered all before it, and at seven o'clock in the morning the roof fell in with a terrible crash, shooting up into the sky fierce tongues of fire and myriads of burning sparks. Pieces of it litter the ground, lit by bright tongues of flame. His head rolled a little to the side, and he found himself staring into the roaring fire, captivated by the flickering golden tongues of flame. verbtongues, tonguing, tongued tʌŋtəŋ [with object] 1Music Sound (a note) distinctly on a wind instrument by interrupting the air flow with the tongue. Eugene has worked out the correct tonguing 2Lick or caress with the tongue. the other horse tongued every part of the colt's mane Example sentencesExamples I can't help myself; I tongue the cylinder, trying to suck food from an invisible cavity. She spots Bruno staring at her, and gives him a ‘come-on’ look while provocatively tonguing her ice cream cone. They fire off blasts of shockwave soul-punk that makes you feel like you just tongued an electrical socket. But I can feel it lurking, like an irritating piece of meat stuck in your back teeth that you keep tonguing but can't get out. Whether you've got two front teeth or ten, the shiny, happy, I-just-left-the-dentist's office feeling will have you tonguing the backs and fronts of your teeth all day. She smiled at his playfulness and bit into an apple, tonguing a bit of sweet juice that threatened to run down the side of her lip. Butterflies feast on her delicate wares: one hangs upside-down on wispy legs as it tongues a rosebud. A hippo, you know, tongues you to death, you know what I mean? She tongued the inside of her cheek and tasted blood. In some ways, the whole process feels like tonguing a bad tooth when you're too scared of going to the dentist. Phrases find (or lose) one's tongue Be able (or unable) to express oneself after a shock. she found her tongue and shakily voiced her only fear lost your tongue? Example sentencesExamples I quickly found my tongue and responded indignantly. Rena slowly enters the elevator, and when the doors close behind her she finds her tongue. Carson stood stuttering for a moment, and then suddenly found his tongue. He was able to find his tongue again and struggle out a simple thank you to the elderly woman. The allegation stunned us all but Hayley managed to find her tongue before Terry and me. By the time she finally found her tongue, he had dragged her half the length of the alley. After a moment's pause, Louise found her tongue. Morgan finally found his tongue, and called out after her. Only after he escorted her onto the dance floor did she find her tongue. I think it's time I proved to myself and to those around me that I haven't lost my tongue just yet. get one's tongue round Pronounce (words) she found it very difficult to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words Example sentencesExamples No, they used the local equivalent to Cockney slang and it took me quite a while to get my tongue round it. I was still at school when it came out, we all knew the lyrics then, but I can't get my tongue round them now. Maori names can be difficult to get your tongue round and my mind blends similar names into one. I could not get my tongue around the sounds of that beautiful language. Although we are still trying to get our tongue round the names of the food and drink, the restaurant offers good value and competently executed cooking, and style to aspire to. This was extraordinary behaviour, as she was not academic, and yet her ability to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words was the best in the class. As I had only been learning Spanish for 2 years at University in Scotland, I hadn't quite got my tongue round the lingo. Tina's Chinese, but she was born and raised in England and in fact she's more of an English rose, she only recently managed to get her tongue round Hong Kong's Cantonese. But way back, when I was a baby, and Jo a toddler, she could never manage to get her tongue round Tobias, and the nearest she ever got to it was Tabby. She struggles to get her tongue round the words. the gift of tongues The power of speaking in unknown languages, regarded as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). Example sentencesExamples For many at Corinth and other Pauline cities, being moved by the Spirit meant having the gift of tongues or miracles or healing or prophecy. Having said this it is important to distinguish between the gift of tongues when revealed in private between only the person and God, or the gift when revealed in the presence of many. Love mandates that all utterances be interpreted for the community, so that the gift of tongues will no longer divide God's church, but will instead contribute to its unity in Christ. If there was no Scripture translated into that language, might God grant the gift of tongues to a missionary so that the people would be able to hear the gospel? This descent was marked by the gift of tongues, and St. Peter is recorded in Acts as seeing in this the new dispensation that had been prophesied by Joel. give tongue 1(of hounds) bark, especially on finding a scent. the dogs spotted him and gave tongue Example sentencesExamples The unseen hounds gave tongue; the clamor of the beaters grew louder. 1.1Express one's feelings or opinions freely. her mother stood behind her, giving tongue: ‘He's got you on the end of a string, that fellow!’ keep a civil tongue in one's head Speak politely. Example sentencesExamples And you'll keep a civil tongue in your head until we're all through with each other. I don't care if the other countries do it - you're not living in another country, you're living in this one, and as long as you do I'll expect you to keep a civil tongue in your head. I hardly know what to say, given this new and unfamiliar policy of keeping a civil tongue in my head. You keep a civil tongue in your head young man! Please sir, keep a civil tongue in your head and behave like a gentleman. Second, you are to keep a civil tongue in your head especially when addressing your peers. You'll keep a civil tongue in your head if you know what's good for you, boy. I know you're eager to prove John's worth but do try to keep a civil tongue in your head. When he's ready to keep a civil tongue in his head and email me an apology, he's welcome back. (with) tongue in cheek Speaking or writing in an ironic or insincere way. one suspects that he is writing with tongue in cheek his tongue is still tucked firmly in his cheek Example sentencesExamples Remarks like that, no doubt tongue in cheek, are unlikely to calm things. The topic was chosen to some extent with tongue in cheek, not least because neither I nor my audience would be around in 800 years to verify the accuracy of my predictions. If that last comment was intended to be tongue in cheek, the others certainly were not. Certainly his comments about correct spelling and grammer must be tongue in cheek. My own favourite notice from the same era was one written by my Oxford College authorities, doubtless with tongue in cheek. I know I've been talking about the collapse of Japanese society recently, but it was tongue in cheek. An uncle of Niamh and Peter heard the youngsters playing and said, initially with tongue in cheek, that they should make a CD. The trouble with me is most of the things I say are tongue in cheek, very flippant. I'm not really a fan, I don't find him that funny, so I was a little dubious about it, but it was great, very camp, cheesy and tongue in cheek! The question was rather tongue in cheek, but it certainly provoked conversation. Synonyms playful, in jest, joking, jokey, as a joke, tongue in cheek, light-hearted, high-spirited, unserious, facetious, flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, for a laugh someone's tongue is hanging out Someone is very eager for something. I'm going to have a whisky—my tongue's hanging out Example sentencesExamples After seeing some of the sets, my tongue is hanging out and I am drooling on the keyboard. I haven't got very far into the book but my tongue is hanging out to learn more about the political scene on Jersey. We have returned as often as possible and my tongue is hanging out right now. My tongue is hanging out looking at these lovely dishes. There are so many delicious treats that my tongue is hanging out. I'm waiting on a cheque, my tongue is hanging out for this cheque and the list of things to spend it on is getting longer. Derivatives tongueless adjective ˈtʌŋləsˈtəŋləs There are about 6 to 14 species of tongueless, aquatic African frogs. Example sentencesExamples One sickening moment which springs to mind is the bit in ‘Titus’ when we see the mutilated Lavinia for the first time, in all her handless, tongueless glory. With their large tongueless mouths, they'll eat anything, even birds. Origin Old English tunge, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tong, German Zunge, and Latin lingua. Despite the difference in spelling, the Old English word tongue is ultimately related to Latin lingua, the source of lingo and language. In the 18th century to put your tongue in your cheek meant ‘to speak insincerely’. This came from a contemptuous gesture which involved poking your tongue in your cheek, and led to the expression tongue in cheek, ‘in an ironic or insincere way’. When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit after the ascent of Jesus into heaven, they were given the gift of tongues, the power of speaking in unknown languages. Members of Pentecostal churches believe that they, like the Apostles, can speak in tongues. Rhymes among, bung, clung, dung, flung, hung, lung, outflung, rung, shantung, slung, sprung, strung, stung, sung, swung, underslung, wrung, young noun.1 phr. Definition of tongue in US English: tongue nountəŋtəNG 1The fleshy muscular organ in the mouth of a mammal, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and (in humans) articulating speech. Example sentencesExamples To take an oral reading, place the thermometer in the child's mouth under the tongue. In severe cases, oral herpes causes sores that spread from the lips to the inside of the mouth, along the tongue and cheeks to the back of the throat. The seal has a big, fat, fleshy tongue and nostrils and a larynx very much like ours. It took three swallows for her tongue and throat to start working again. The tongue and mucous membranes lose their glistening appearance and the buccal mucosa becomes sticky. Common sites for barbell-style jewelry are the ear, eyebrow, tongue, and navel. The digestive system includes the mouth, teeth, tongue, esophagus, stomach, and intestines. In a swallow, the tongue presses the bolus into the pharynx. The discovery of a specific taste receptor on the human tongue for glutamates in 2000 legitimized its existence as a basic flavor. Call your doctor if you have sores in your mouth, on your tongue, or on your lips. The oral cavity with the tongue, the pharynx and esophagus constitute the swallowing organ. Swallowing, which is accomplished by muscle movements in the tongue and mouth, moves the food into the throat, or pharynx. Cool water dribbled on his lips, and he opened his mouth, moistening his tongue and swallowing. As you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat and roof of your mouth relax. This deficiency is associated with anemia, a sore mouth and tongue and poor growth and spinal cord problems in newborn children. The most serious symptom is the swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, face and throat. You put them in your mouth at bedtime to keep your tongue and jaw forward during sleep. A bundle of muscles extends from the floor of the mouth to form the tongue. Look out for vomit blocking the airway and check that the patient has not swallowed their tongue. Patients are also at risk for cancers of the brain, lung, stomach, tongue, and melanoma of the eye, and leukemia. 1.1 The equivalent organ in other vertebrates, sometimes used (in snakes) as a scent organ or (in chameleons) for catching food. Example sentencesExamples In most vertebrates the hyoid supports the tongue, as it does in the snake-necked turtle. They feed mainly on leaves of acacia and mimosa, using their 450mm extendable tongues and mobile lips to secure their food. These snakes are roughly cylindrical, and if their small forked tongues didn't flick in and out, it would be hard to tell one end from the other. Their bills are adapted for removing seeds from cones, and they start at the bottom of a cone and spiral upward, prying open each scale and removing the seeds with their tongues. Like pangolins, aardvarks have a long, protrusile tongue and a gizzard-like stomach. In all squamates, including iguanians, the tongue is also used for vomeronasal chemoreception. Dramatic decreases are believed to occur when tissues under the tongues of green frogs become inflamed and are sloughed. Although their tongues are large, they do not protrude them beyond the threshold of the jaws. Instead, they transfer compounds from their tongues into two elaborate sensory receptors known as the vomeronasal organs. When collecting seeds to cache, a bird can store as many as 90 seeds in a pouch behind its tongue. Geese, of course, do not rely on this tongue for getting food into the mouth, so the hyoid apparatus tends to be simple, but powerful. Recent modeling studies have focused on systems such as vertebrate jaws, limbs, tongues and tentacles and axial muscle. Dissection of chameleon tongues revealed an elastic collagen tissue sandwiched between the tongue bone and the accelerator muscle. White many other kinds of lizards can extend their tongues to seize small prey, only chameleons have evolved a powerful suction device: a pouch on the lingual tip. When snakes flick their tongues in and out, they pick up chemical cues from the air, which they transfer to a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth. During the ascent it smartly taps the bark, prising off fragments and frequently extracting food from crevices with the tip of its sticky tongue. The tongue contacts the food item forcefully, pushing it down into the papillae, maximizing the area of contact. Similarly, control of the anuran tongue is achieved largely through its mechanical relationship with the lower jaw. Parents carry plankton to the chick in a pouch under their tongue. It actually functions as a tongue and sends food down the fish's throat. 1.2 An analogous organ in insects, formed from some of the mouthparts and used in feeding. 1.3 The tongue of a hoofed mammal, in particular an ox or lamb, as food. Example sentencesExamples Soak tongue in cold running water for three to four hours. We were served salad, tongue, filled peppers and that's where I stopped. For supper we'd have things that people would never dream of eating now, like cold tongue or herrings' roe on toast. Add tongue; simmer for three to four hours or until tender. Just like potato chips, crackers, pickled eggs, popcorn and tongue, les pattes de porc are designed to leave you begging for beer. A Chilean Merlot or a decent Beaujolais is the best partner for liver, tongue, sausage and ham. But don't forget oxtail and tongue, both of which will probably need to be ordered specially. At 2.39 leva the Stara Planina salad is a slightly less ostentatious plate of tongue, sausage, tomato, cheese and olives. These berries are considered to be a fine accompaniment for buffalo steaks or tongue, an affinity which accounts for their common name. Cut the beef tongue and foie gras into six slices and reserve. I had braised beef tongue with ragout of porcini mushroom and white beans, with a soft poached egg laid on top. Perhaps horse would do, or tongue, or pork, or some sort of bird. The statement also said the latest cases were likely caused by the consumption of tainted pork tongue in jelly. It might be impossible to move an entire case of tongue or oxtail or side of lamb unless the person requesting it buys at least half. No word on what he thought of such delicacies as the black pepper donuts and the Kobe beef tongue. Pound per metric pound, it's cheaper to buy rump steak than it is pork tongue. Stir in the remaining pork tongue, chili paste and miso. I try desperately not to cringe when offered tongue, frog's legs and pig's trotters, and I eat them, every time. If you're not in the sandwich mood, they do have other items on the menu, including pork tongue with a red pepper sauce which was quite tasty. These were duly consumed by the 160 residents, together with ham and tongue and 500 fancy cakes. 2Used in reference to a person's style or manner of speaking. he was a redoubtable debater with a caustic tongue Example sentencesExamples She had a distaste for the world and she showed it with a general lack of emotion and sharp tongue laced with venomous words. Jesters of the past, though figures of fun at the royal court, were often highly intelligent men whose quick wit and sharp tongue both diverted the monarch and reminded him of his mortality. A caustic wit, a penetrating eye, a stiletto tongue that enjoyed drawing blood, she wasn't everyone's cup of tea. When something about the magic act goes wrong, a glib tongue and a humorous manner can do much to gloss over the slip so that people do not notice that anything is amiss. I cannot let Aoife's caustic tongue spoil this experience for me. Synonyms manner of speaking, way of speaking, manner of talking, way of talking, form of expression, mode of expression, choice of words, verbal expression 2.1 A particular language. the prioress chatted to the peddler in a strange tongue Example sentencesExamples Along with Czech and Polish, it is classified as a western Slavic tongue in the Indo-European language family. Then we heard several men's voices at once, speaking in a strange tongue, with the same flat, broad tone, and I heard for the first time the native speech of the Danes. Most of the passengers cannot speak each other's native tongues and so virtually all of the dialogue is in English. The drive has to come from the students who choose to speak their native tongue instead of a language that everyone understands. They converse in strange tongues, using words and expressions that are totally alien to me. They shout in strange tongues - not English, not Hindi. It is presently marketed in the native tongues of Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Holland and Argentina, and in English in most western European countries. Some of us learned the lesson quickly and laughed at our classmates who were less adept at English and slow to drop their native tongues. Modern walkers love to travel, and many long for the diversion of strange lands and foreign tongues. It is used by more people than any other language, mostly as a second language, not a native tongue. About 7 or 8 percent also speak an Amerindian language as their native tongue. The Chamorros and Carolinians are largely multilingual, speaking their native tongues, English, and Japanese. For example, many of the research labs are staffed by Asians who prefer to speak in their native tongues. Between the four soldiers in the back of the Land Rover there are four languages, Nepalese and English are common tongues and there are two caste languages which they don't all understand. East Timor comes across as a series of lands within a land, with different tongues and customs. There are several local tongues, like the language of my people, the Hehe, and the official language Swahili, and English. For Bulgarians, it's the chance to practice delivering lines not in your native tongue - and to mingle with drama enthusiasts from other lands. English language became the fashionable tongue, and Welsh native arts went into decline. None of the inhabitants spoke French as a native tongue, and few understood it. None of the crossover Scandinavian rockers sing in their native tongues, but Sweden's biggest band does. Synonyms language, dialect, patois, vernacular, mother tongue, native tongue, jargon, argot, cant, pidgin, creole, lingua franca 2.2tongues see the gift of tongues below 3A strip of leather or fabric under the laces in a shoe, attached only at the front end. Example sentencesExamples This site suggests baby powder, between the tongue and the upper or, if you can peel it back, beneath the inner sole. Different models of the shoe had different pump systems, which were integrated into the tongue of the shoe. What's stupider, putting extra tongues in your shoes or trying to skate in extra-tight women's pants? This pair of shoes features contrast stitching and textures, a removable padded tongue and comfortable rubber sole. Thanks to an elastic band that connects the shoe's tongue to the sidewalls and a heel cup with a notch for your Achilles tendon, the fit is superb. At breakfast, he's wearing shoes with enormous tongues, loose-fitting trousers and an oversized shirt. So we added more cushioning protection with a zoom air sock liner and we added a little more padding to the tongue which didn't take away from the aesthetics or the heritage of the shoe. If after tying the shoe, less than an inch of the tongue shows, the shoes are probably too wide. And did I mention the padded tongues and the air in the sole? The buckle has a cast pewter frame with a hinge element between the buckle sides, and both the tongue and strap were attached to the center bar. 3.1 The pin of a buckle. 4The free-swinging metal piece inside a bell which is made to strike the bell to produce the sound. Example sentencesExamples To this the young devotees made their way, and after fastening cords to the bell's tongue they tossed ropes to their aiders and abettors below. The tongue of the bell should weigh 1/20 the weight of the bell. Here, he refers to the swinging of a bell in which the lip, arch, or "bow" of the bell rises up to one side, and then meets the bell's "tongue," or chime. 5A long, low promontory of land. Example sentencesExamples Beneath the cries of curlews, low tongues of land balance precariously between sea and marsh. Marshy tongues of land determined property lines more than geometric principles of land settlement. The Wakhan, a tongue of land in Afghanistan's north-east, touches China. Like York, the commercial focus developed on a tongue of land between two rivers. Synonyms promontory, headland, point, head, foreland, cape, peninsula, bluff, ness, naze, horn, spit 6A projecting strip on a wooden board fitting into a groove on another. Example sentencesExamples Starting with the tongue of the board, place the fabric top over the batting and layers and continue to the end of the board. When you put a laminate floor in the bathroom, use a little bit of glue on the tongue and on the groove just to make sure we have a really tight, moisture-proof seal. A partner helps secure the board while the nailer bends backward pushing the groove hard onto the tongue with one hand and driving the nail in with the other. Tongue and groove boards are installed perpendicular to the furring strips, and are either face-nailed or blind-nailed through the tongues. With a cedar floor, installation consists of interlocking tongues and grooves and fastening the material to the floor. The last piece, next to the intersecting wall, should be cut to size and its tongue slipped into the groove of the adjacent board. Also chisel off the tongue of the board protruding into the space. It is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank. Rather, insert the tongue into the groove and adjust into final position. Her tread shook the very tongues in their grooves. Engage the tongue and grooves of the tiles as you lay them next to each other, but don't slide them into place. Then remove the board and spread carpenter's glue on the tongues and grooves of the new and old pieces. 7The vibrating reed of a musical instrument or organ pipe. 8A jet of flame. a tongue of flame flashes four feet from the gun Example sentencesExamples In a Pentecost scene an apostle at the rear of the group was raising his arm to fend off the tongue of flame, like a man attacked by a bee. The result was quite spectacular, as huge tongues of flame would shoot out of the openings, much like lava from an erupting volcano. Two minutes later, Watson was back, looking over at the window, where tongues of flame were licking up the curtain. We know there was a gush of wind and tongues of flame flickering over the heads of the apostles. Huge tongues of flames, the source of which is disputed, licked the last traces of life from the once flourishing township. The fire by this time had conquered all before it, and at seven o'clock in the morning the roof fell in with a terrible crash, shooting up into the sky fierce tongues of fire and myriads of burning sparks. From time to time, the wind changed direction so that you had to leap back to avoid a sudden tongue of flame curling back towards you. Pieces of it litter the ground, lit by bright tongues of flame. Trees, rocks and soil had all been uprooted, and flickering tongues of flame dotted the landscape. Black smoke rolled in heavy clouds; flames rose in great tongues to the sky - the water was covered with black oil. Bright tongues of flame jumped high into the sky, trying to lick the clouds. She sat on the other side of the fire, gazing at me through the tongues of yellow flame. Even the garden was engulfed by mocking, dancing tongues of flame. His head rolled a little to the side, and he found himself staring into the roaring fire, captivated by the flickering golden tongues of flame. These people must have been chased by the roaring tongues of flames that caught them here. The moment the blade touched it, it flared into flame, sending tongues of fire up the blade. The fire crackled in the night as tongues of flames licked the underside of the fish roasting on the spit. Flames like tongues of fire engulfed the farmhouse, porch and all, angry, cracking flames that left no exit. The logs in the fireplace snapped with thick orange and red tongues of flame, spreading warmth through my living room, along with light, now that the power had gone out. I still hear the screams of terrified people through the hissing of fire, still see tongues of flame rear high into a night sky, darkened even more by heavy black smoke. verbtəŋtəNG [with object] 1Music Sound (a note) distinctly on a wind instrument by interrupting the air flow with the tongue. 2Lick or caress with the tongue. the other horse tongued every part of the colt's mane Example sentencesExamples She smiled at his playfulness and bit into an apple, tonguing a bit of sweet juice that threatened to run down the side of her lip. In some ways, the whole process feels like tonguing a bad tooth when you're too scared of going to the dentist. Butterflies feast on her delicate wares: one hangs upside-down on wispy legs as it tongues a rosebud. But I can feel it lurking, like an irritating piece of meat stuck in your back teeth that you keep tonguing but can't get out. I can't help myself; I tongue the cylinder, trying to suck food from an invisible cavity. She tongued the inside of her cheek and tasted blood. Whether you've got two front teeth or ten, the shiny, happy, I-just-left-the-dentist's office feeling will have you tonguing the backs and fronts of your teeth all day. They fire off blasts of shockwave soul-punk that makes you feel like you just tongued an electrical socket. A hippo, you know, tongues you to death, you know what I mean? She spots Bruno staring at her, and gives him a ‘come-on’ look while provocatively tonguing her ice cream cone. Phrases find (or lose) one's tongue Be able (or unable) to express oneself after a shock. Example sentencesExamples I think it's time I proved to myself and to those around me that I haven't lost my tongue just yet. After a moment's pause, Louise found her tongue. The allegation stunned us all but Hayley managed to find her tongue before Terry and me. Carson stood stuttering for a moment, and then suddenly found his tongue. I quickly found my tongue and responded indignantly. Rena slowly enters the elevator, and when the doors close behind her she finds her tongue. He was able to find his tongue again and struggle out a simple thank you to the elderly woman. Morgan finally found his tongue, and called out after her. Only after he escorted her onto the dance floor did she find her tongue. By the time she finally found her tongue, he had dragged her half the length of the alley. the gift of tongues The power of speaking in unknown languages, regarded as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). Example sentencesExamples Love mandates that all utterances be interpreted for the community, so that the gift of tongues will no longer divide God's church, but will instead contribute to its unity in Christ. This descent was marked by the gift of tongues, and St. Peter is recorded in Acts as seeing in this the new dispensation that had been prophesied by Joel. For many at Corinth and other Pauline cities, being moved by the Spirit meant having the gift of tongues or miracles or healing or prophecy. If there was no Scripture translated into that language, might God grant the gift of tongues to a missionary so that the people would be able to hear the gospel? Having said this it is important to distinguish between the gift of tongues when revealed in private between only the person and God, or the gift when revealed in the presence of many. give tongue 1(of hounds) bark, especially on finding a scent. Example sentencesExamples The unseen hounds gave tongue; the clamor of the beaters grew louder. 1.1Express one's feelings or opinions freely, sometimes objectionably so. keep a civil tongue in one's head Speak politely. Example sentencesExamples Please sir, keep a civil tongue in your head and behave like a gentleman. I hardly know what to say, given this new and unfamiliar policy of keeping a civil tongue in my head. You'll keep a civil tongue in your head if you know what's good for you, boy. And you'll keep a civil tongue in your head until we're all through with each other. You keep a civil tongue in your head young man! When he's ready to keep a civil tongue in his head and email me an apology, he's welcome back. Second, you are to keep a civil tongue in your head especially when addressing your peers. I know you're eager to prove John's worth but do try to keep a civil tongue in your head. I don't care if the other countries do it - you're not living in another country, you're living in this one, and as long as you do I'll expect you to keep a civil tongue in your head. (with) tongue in cheek Without really meaning what one is saying or writing. Example sentencesExamples I know I've been talking about the collapse of Japanese society recently, but it was tongue in cheek. The trouble with me is most of the things I say are tongue in cheek, very flippant. I'm not really a fan, I don't find him that funny, so I was a little dubious about it, but it was great, very camp, cheesy and tongue in cheek! Remarks like that, no doubt tongue in cheek, are unlikely to calm things. My own favourite notice from the same era was one written by my Oxford College authorities, doubtless with tongue in cheek. The topic was chosen to some extent with tongue in cheek, not least because neither I nor my audience would be around in 800 years to verify the accuracy of my predictions. Certainly his comments about correct spelling and grammer must be tongue in cheek. An uncle of Niamh and Peter heard the youngsters playing and said, initially with tongue in cheek, that they should make a CD. The question was rather tongue in cheek, but it certainly provoked conversation. If that last comment was intended to be tongue in cheek, the others certainly were not. Synonyms playful, in jest, joking, jokey, as a joke, tongue in cheek, light-hearted, high-spirited, unserious, facetious, flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, for a laugh someone's tongue is hanging out Someone is very eager for something. the tabloids have their tongues hanging out for this stuff Example sentencesExamples After seeing some of the sets, my tongue is hanging out and I am drooling on the keyboard. My tongue is hanging out looking at these lovely dishes. I'm waiting on a cheque, my tongue is hanging out for this cheque and the list of things to spend it on is getting longer. We have returned as often as possible and my tongue is hanging out right now. I haven't got very far into the book but my tongue is hanging out to learn more about the political scene on Jersey. There are so many delicious treats that my tongue is hanging out. get one's tongue around Pronounce (words) she found it very difficult to get her tongue around the unfamiliar words Example sentencesExamples Although we are still trying to get our tongue round the names of the food and drink, the restaurant offers good value and competently executed cooking, and style to aspire to. No, they used the local equivalent to Cockney slang and it took me quite a while to get my tongue round it. But way back, when I was a baby, and Jo a toddler, she could never manage to get her tongue round Tobias, and the nearest she ever got to it was Tabby. She struggles to get her tongue round the words. This was extraordinary behaviour, as she was not academic, and yet her ability to get her tongue round the unfamiliar words was the best in the class. As I had only been learning Spanish for 2 years at University in Scotland, I hadn't quite got my tongue round the lingo. Tina's Chinese, but she was born and raised in England and in fact she's more of an English rose, she only recently managed to get her tongue round Hong Kong's Cantonese. I could not get my tongue around the sounds of that beautiful language. Maori names can be difficult to get your tongue round and my mind blends similar names into one. I was still at school when it came out, we all knew the lyrics then, but I can't get my tongue round them now. Origin Old English tunge, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tong, German Zunge, and Latin lingua. noun.1 phr.
随便看	clients client-server client-servers clientship clientship clientships client-side clifden Clifden blue Clifden nonpareil cliff cliff brake cliff dive cliff diver cliff diving cliff-dweller cliff dwelling cliffed cliffer cliff-hang cliffhanger coquetted coquettes coquetting coquettish