tongue
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++tongue1 /tʌŋ/ ●●● S3 W3 noun 1 mouth 嘴 [countable]HBH the soft part inside your mouth that you can move about and use for eating and speaking 舌，舌头 Joe ran his tongue over his dry lips. 乔舔了舔干燥的嘴唇。 The taste of the chocolate was still on her tongue. 巧克力的余味依然留在她的舌尖。 The girl scowled at me, then stuck out her tongue. 女孩怒视着我，然后吐了一下舌头。2 click your tongue to make a sharp noise with your tongue to show that you are annoyed or disappointed 〔因生气或失望而〕咂嘴 She clicked her tongue and shook her head. 她咂了一下嘴，摇了摇头。3 sharp tongue TALK TO somebodyif you have a sharp tongue, you often talk in a way that shows you are angry 尖刻的嘴巴 Gina’s sharp tongue will get her into trouble one day. 吉娜那张尖刻的嘴巴早晚会给她惹麻烦的。4. silver tongue literary if you have a silver tongue, you can talk in a way that makes people like you or persuades them that you are right 说话动听，能说会道5 sharp-tongued/silver-tongued etc able to talk in a very angry or pleasant way 说话尖刻的/说话动听的等 a sharp-tongued young teacher 说话尖刻的年轻教师6. with (your) tongue in (your) cheek JOKING/NOT SERIOUSif you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you say it as a joke, not seriously 〔说话〕不当真的，开玩笑的 → tongue-in-cheek7 slip of the tongue MISTAKEa small mistake in something you say 说错了话，口误 Did I say $100? It must have been a slip of the tongue. 我说100美元吗？那一定是口误。8 bite your tongue SAYto stop yourself saying something because you know it would not be sensible to say it 忍住不说，保持缄默 I wanted to argue, but I had to bite my tongue. 我想辩驳，但又不得不保持缄默。9. Cat got your tongue? (also Lost your tongue?) spokenTALK TO somebody used to ask someone why they are not talking 怎么不说话了？怎么哑巴了？10 get your tongue around something informalSAY to be able to say a difficult word or phrase 说出〔某个拗口的词或短语〕 I couldn’t get my tongue around the names of the villages we’d visited. 我说不来我们去过的那些村庄的名字。11 trip/roll off the tongue informalSAY if a name or phrase trips or rolls off your tongue, it is easy or pleasant to say 〔某个名字或短语〕顺口 Their names trip off the tongue very easily. 他们的名字很顺口。12 loosen somebody’s tongue informalTALK TO somebody if something such as alcohol loosens your tongue, it makes you talk a lot 〔喝酒等〕使某人话多，使某人管不住嘴 The wine had certainly loosened her tongue. 她喝了酒，话当然就变得多了起来。13 find your tongue informalTALK TO somebody to say something after you have been silent for a time because you were afraid or shy 〔因害怕或害羞而沉默之后〕终于开口说话 Polly found her tongue at last and told them about the attack. 波莉终于开口说话，告诉了他们袭击的经过。14 set tongues wagging TALK TO somebodyto do something that people will talk about in an unkind way 使人议论纷纷，招闲话 Angela’s divorce will certainly set tongues wagging. 安杰拉的离婚肯定会招来闲言碎语。15. keep a civil tongue in your head old-fashioned spokenPOLITE used to tell someone that they should talk politely to people 说话要讲礼貌16. speak with forked tongue LIE/TELL A LIEto say things that are not true – used humorously 说谎〔幽默用法〕17. speak in tongues RRCto talk using strange words as part of a religious experience 说方言〔一种宗教体验〕18 language 语言 literarySL a language 语言；方言 Anton lapsed into his own tongue when he was excited. 安东一激动就说家乡话。mother/native tongue (=the language you learn as a child) 母语 She felt more comfortable talking in her native tongue. 她说母语感觉更放松。19. food 食物 [uncountable]DF the tongue of a cow or sheep, cooked and eaten cold 口条〔牛羊等的舌头，可做凉菜〕20 shape 形状 [countable]CF something that has a long thin shape 舌状物tongue of Huge tongues of fire were licking the side of the building. 巨大的火舌吞卷着大楼的一侧。21. shoe 鞋DC [countable] the part of a shoe that lies on top of your foot, under the part where you tie it 鞋舌 → on the tip of your tongue at tip1(5), → hold your tongue at hold1(29)
Examples from the Corpus
tongue• Russian is not a tongue I speak.• She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and his sudden tension told her she was right.• Her tongue turned black and choked her.• Always soft and fuzzed with pocket lint, they would sit on his tongue like dry bitter cotton.• As soon as he saw the tongues, he knew.• The computer, for disabled people, is operated using your tongue.stuck out ... tongue• Stuart sighed and Linda Paterson stuck out her tongue at him.• Her eyes flickered towards him and she playfully stuck out her tongue.• She stuck out her tongue. ` Anyway, emergency medicine is great stuff.mother/native tongue• An assistant began waving his arms and talking to the dealer noisily in his native tongue.• The words, in his native tongue, were few and easy to learn.• It was weird, because it sure sounded like my native tongue.• But for most of us our native tongue is alive and constantly shifting.• At first it seems the girls are singing in their native tongue.tongue of• the thirsty tongues of tree rootstongue2 verb 1. [intransitive, transitive] to use your tongue to make separate sounds when playing a musical instrument 〔演奏管乐器时〕用运舌法吹奏（音符）2. [transitive] to touch something with your tongue 用舌头触碰，舔→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
tongue• Her hair was rather wild, her tongue eloquent.Origin tongue Old English tungetongue1 noun →10-21
tongue2 verbChinese
tongue2 verbChinese
can Corpus part that you soft the mouth your inside
See ldoce4183jpg for more
tongue
tongue1 S3 W3 /tʌŋ/ 
noun
Joe ran his tongue over his dry lips.
The taste of the chocolate was still on her tongue.
The girl scowled at me, then stuck out her tongue.
2. click your tongue to make a sharp noise with your tongue to show that you are annoyed or disappointed:
She clicked her tongue and shook her head.
3. sharp tongue if you have a sharp tongue, you often talk in a way that shows you are angry:
Gina’s sharp tongue will get her into trouble one day.
4. silver tongue literary if you have a silver tongue, you can talk in a way that makes people like you or persuades them that you are right
5. sharp-tongued/silver-tongued etc able to talk in a very angry or pleasant way:
a sharp-tongued young teacher
6. with (your) tongue in (your) cheek if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you say it as a joke, not seriously ⇨ tongue-in-cheek
7. slip of the tongue a small mistake in something you say:
Did I say $100? It must have been a slip of the tongue.
8. bite your tongue to stop yourself saying something because you know it would not be sensible to say it:
I wanted to argue, but I had to bite my tongue.
9. Cat got your tongue? (also Lost your tongue?) spoken used to ask someone why they are not talking
10. get your tongue around something informal to be able to say a difficult word or phrase:
I couldn’t get my tongue around the names of the villages we’d visited.
11. trip/roll off the tongue informal if a name or phrase trips or rolls off your tongue, it is easy or pleasant to say:
Their names trip off the tongue very easily.
12. loosen sb’s tongue informal if something such as alcohol loosens your tongue, it makes you talk a lot:
The wine had certainly loosened her tongue.
13. find your tongue informal to say something after you have been silent for a time because you were afraid or shy:
Polly found her tongue at last and told them about the attack.
14. set tongues wagging to do something that people will talk about in an unkind way:
Angela’s divorce will certainly set tongues wagging.
15. keep a civil tongue in your head old-fashioned spoken used to tell someone that they should talk politely to people
16. speak with forked tongue to say things that are not true – used humorously
17. speak in tongues to talk using strange words as part of a religious experience
18. LANGUAGE literary a language:
Anton lapsed into his own tongue when he was excited.
mother/native tongue (=the language you learn as a child)
She felt more comfortable talking in her native tongue.
19. FOOD [uncountable] the tongue of a cow or sheep, cooked and eaten cold
20. SHAPE [countable] something that has a long thin shape
tongue of
Huge tongues of fire were licking the side of the building.
21. SHOE [countable] the part of a shoe that lies on top of your foot, under the part where you tie it
⇨ on the tip of your tongue at tip1(5), ⇨ hold your tongue at hold1(29)
tongue2 verb
1. [intransitive and transitive] to use your tongue to make separate sounds when playing a musical instrument
2. [transitive] to touch something with your tongue
| I |
noun Language: Old English
Origin: tunge
1. MOUTH [countable] the soft part inside your mouth that you can move about and use for eating and speaking:Origin: tunge
2. click your tongue to make a sharp noise with your tongue to show that you are annoyed or disappointed:
3. sharp tongue if you have a sharp tongue, you often talk in a way that shows you are angry:
4. silver tongue literary if you have a silver tongue, you can talk in a way that makes people like you or persuades them that you are right
5. sharp-tongued/silver-tongued etc able to talk in a very angry or pleasant way:
6. with (your) tongue in (your) cheek if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you say it as a joke, not seriously ⇨ tongue-in-cheek
7. slip of the tongue a small mistake in something you say:
8. bite your tongue to stop yourself saying something because you know it would not be sensible to say it:
9. Cat got your tongue? (also Lost your tongue?) spoken used to ask someone why they are not talking
10. get your tongue around something informal to be able to say a difficult word or phrase:
11. trip/roll off the tongue informal if a name or phrase trips or rolls off your tongue, it is easy or pleasant to say:
12. loosen sb’s tongue informal if something such as alcohol loosens your tongue, it makes you talk a lot:
13. find your tongue informal to say something after you have been silent for a time because you were afraid or shy:
14. set tongues wagging to do something that people will talk about in an unkind way:
15. keep a civil tongue in your head old-fashioned spoken used to tell someone that they should talk politely to people
16. speak with forked tongue to say things that are not true – used humorously
17. speak in tongues to talk using strange words as part of a religious experience
18. LANGUAGE literary a language:
mother/native tongue (=the language you learn as a child)
19. FOOD [uncountable] the tongue of a cow or sheep, cooked and eaten cold
20. SHAPE [countable] something that has a long thin shape
tongue of
21. SHOE [countable] the part of a shoe that lies on top of your foot, under the part where you tie it
⇨ on the tip of your tongue at tip1(5), ⇨ hold your tongue at hold1(29)
| II |
verb1. [intransitive and transitive] to use your tongue to make separate sounds when playing a musical instrument
2. [transitive] to touch something with your tongue
