slip of the tongue

slip of the tongue — idiom

1. A small spoken mistake in which you accidentally say a word or phrase different

1.慣用語B2
釋義

A small spoken mistake in which you accidentally say a word or phrase different from what you intended — often creating an unintended or embarrassing meaning.

例句

At the wedding, Wei made a slip of the tongue and congratulated the wrong couple.

collocation: make a slip of the tongue

Élise's slip of the tongue during the meeting accidentally revealed the surprise party plan.

同義詞
  • Freudian slip

    A more specific term for a slip of the tongue that reveals a hidden thought or feeling, often related to psychology.

  • misspeaking

    A more formal or neutral alternative; 'misspoke' is the verb form (e.g., 'The senator misspoke').

  • verbal blunder

    Slightly more formal; focuses on the embarrassing or unfortunate nature of the mistake.

文法句型

a/the slip of the tongue

make a slip of the tongue

用法筆記

Always used as a countable noun phrase. The verb that typically precedes the expression is 'make' (e.g., 'I made a slip of the tongue'). Do not use the expression as a verb — 'I slipped my tongue' is incorrect.

常見錯誤

❌I slipped my tongue during the speech.
✅I had a slip of the tongue during the speech.
💡'Slip of the tongue' is a noun phrase, not a verb. Use 'make' or 'have' before it.
❌I made a tongue slip at the party.
✅I made a slip of the tongue at the party.
💡The phrase is a fixed expression; the words 'slip,' 'of,' 'the,' and 'tongue' must stay in that order.