tongue
/tʌŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈʌŋ] /tʌŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈʌŋ] /ˈtəŋ/ (ame, mw)
tongue — noun
- tonguesingular
- tonguesplural
1. The soft, movable piece of flesh inside your mouth that helps you taste food, sp
The soft, movable piece of flesh inside your mouth that helps you taste food, speak, and swallow.
The doctor asked Mira to open her mouth and stick out her tongue.
tongue + stick out for medical examination
Ari burned his tongue on the hot tea and could not taste the cake.
The cat's rough tongue felt strange against Dahlia's hand.
Naoko bit her tongue by accident while eating lunch.
When Yuna was a baby, she loved to touch everything with her tongue.
用法筆記
Often used with possessive pronouns (my tongue, her tongue). The verb 'stick out' is the most common instruction from doctors.
常見錯誤
2. Meat from the tongue of animals such as cows or pigs, prepared and eaten as a di
Meat from the tongue of animals such as cows or pigs, prepared and eaten as a dish.
My grandmother made a sandwich with sliced tongue and pickles.
sliced tongue in a sandwich
Caleb ordered braised tongue at the traditional restaurant.
In some countries, cow tongue is a special dish for holiday feasts.
The market sells smoked tongue for about the same price as ham.
用法筆記
Usually refers to the tongue of cows (beef tongue) or pigs (pork tongue). In Taiwan-style menus, it is often called 牛舌 (niú shé) or 豬舌 (zhū shé).
3. A short flat piece of leather or fabric inside a shoe, positioned below the row
A short flat piece of leather or fabric inside a shoe, positioned below the row of laces to cushion the top of the foot.
The tongue of Vikram's new boots keeps sliding to one side.
tongue + of + shoe/boot
Mira pulled the tongue forward before she tightened the laces.
A rip in the tongue let water leak into Eshe's hiking shoe.
The leather tongue has a small tag inside that shows the shoe size.
Caleb folded the tongue flat and tied his running shoes loosely.
用法筆記
The shoe tongue is the flap under the laces. If the tongue slides to one side, the shoe is said to have a 'wandering tongue' — a common minor design problem.
4. A system of spoken or written words used by a particular group of people to comm
A system of spoken or written words used by a particular group of people to communicate with one another.
Ari's mother tongue is Tamil, but he speaks English at work every day.
mother tongue = first language
The tour guide spoke in a foreign tongue that none of the visitors understood.
Matthew is learning a second tongue to prepare for his trip to Japan.
The old manuscript was written in a tongue no longer spoken by anyone alive.
Naoko finds it easiest to express her feelings in her native tongue.
用法筆記
This is a more poetic or formal synonym for 'language'. It frequently appears in fixed phrases: 'mother tongue', 'native tongue', 'foreign tongue'. It is not used for computer or programming languages.
常見錯誤
5. The particular style or quality of a person's speech, especially regarding how h
The particular style or quality of a person's speech, especially regarding how harsh, persuasive, or expressive their words are.
The lawyer's sharp tongue made the witness feel uncomfortable in court.
sharp tongue = tendency to say harsh things
Vikram has a smooth tongue and can charm almost anyone he meets.
The teacher warned the student to watch his tongue during the debate.
Aylin's bitter tongue often hurt the feelings of people around her.
Despite his kind face, the old man still had a very sharp tongue.
用法筆記
Always used with a preceding adjective that describes the quality of speech (sharp, smooth, bitter, loose, silver, forked). The adjective is essential — 'he has a tongue' alone does not convey this meaning.
6. A long, narrow stretch of land that reaches out into a sea, lake, or river, like
A long, narrow stretch of land that reaches out into a sea, lake, or river, like the shape of a tongue.
The boat sailed carefully around a narrow tongue of land covered with pine trees.
tongue + of + land
A sandy tongue of land stretches far into the calm blue lake.
The old castle was built on a tongue of land between two rivers.
Geologists studied the rocky tongue that jutted into the ocean.
Birds nested on the grassy tongue of land near the river mouth.
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of land' or 'of [water body]'. Used in formal or descriptive writing rather than casual conversation. In geography, a similar feature is called a 'peninsula' when larger.
7. A narrow, moving piece of flame that rises from something that is burning, shape
A narrow, moving piece of flame that rises from something that is burning, shaped somewhat like a tongue.
Tongues of flame rose from the barn and lit up the night sky.
tongues of flame = moving fire shaped like tongues
A small tongue of fire danced above the candle wick.
The firefighter watched a tongue of flame spread across the dry grass.
Tongues of fire licked at the wooden beams of the old farmhouse.
From the campfire, a tongue of flame stretched upward into the dark.
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural (tongues of flame/fire). Common in literary or journalistic descriptions of fires. The verb 'lick' often co-occurs with this sense (tongues of fire licked at...).
8. A heavy metal part suspended from the top inside of a bell; as the bell swings,
A heavy metal part suspended from the top inside of a bell; as the bell swings, it hits the inner walls to produce a ringing tone.
The bell's iron tongue swung back and struck the metal sides.
bell + tongue = clapper
When the church bell was stolen, its tongue was later found in the grass.
The blacksmith forged a new tongue for the cracked bell.
Each time the tongue struck the bell, a deep sound filled the valley.
Without its tongue, the old bell could not make any sound at all.
- clapper
the more common modern term; 'tongue' is older and more literary
用法筆記
A technical term more commonly called a 'clapper'. Learners are unlikely to need this sense in everyday conversation, but it appears in literature and descriptions of church bells.
tongue — verb
- tonguepresent simple I / you / we / they
- tongues3rd person singular
- tonguing-ing form
- tonguedpast simple
1. To use your tongue to briefly interrupt the flow of air into a wind instrument,
To use your tongue to briefly interrupt the flow of air into a wind instrument, producing clear, separated musical notes.
The trumpet player learned to tongue each note clearly and quickly.
tongue + each note = play with short interruptions
Dahlia practised tonguing for an hour to improve her clarinet speed.
The teacher showed Caleb how to tongue the staccato notes in the piece.
For this passage, the flutist must tongue every single note rather than slur them together.
Naoko struggled to tongue fast enough for the difficult jazz solo.
- slur
to play notes smoothly without separating them with the tongue
文法句型
tongue + noun phrase
tongue + adverb
用法筆記
The opposite of tonguing is 'slurring', where notes are played without stopping the air. In musical notation, tongued notes are marked with dots above or below them (staccato).
2. To touch, lick, or gently move the tongue over a surface, usually to taste, clea
To touch, lick, or gently move the tongue over a surface, usually to taste, clean, or examine something.
The baby tongued the piece of bread before deciding to eat it.
tongue + food = explore with tongue
Eshe watched the snake tongue the air to sense its surroundings.
The dog tongued the bowl until every last piece of food was gone.
Vikram tongued his dry lips nervously before the job interview.
The cat sat quietly and tongued its paw to clean between each toe.
文法句型
tongue + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb is less common than 'lick'. It emphasizes a gentle, exploring, or deliberate movement of the tongue, whereas 'lick' can be quicker or more vigorous. Often used for animals or babies.