Tongue: Body Part and Language

A good tongue is a good weapon.

Under the tongue men are crushed to death.

The tongue breaks bone, and herself has none.

The tongue stings.

The tongue is more venomous than a serpent's sting.

The tongue is not steel yet it cuts.

It is a good tongue that says no ill, and a better heart that thinks none.

What the heart thinks, the tongue speaks.

It is better to play with the ears than the tongue.

The tongue of idle persons is never still.

A woman's sword is her tongue, and she does not let it rust.

A woman's strength is in her tongue.

A woman's tongue is the last thing about her that dies.

He speaks with a forked tongue.
Better to slip with the foot than with the tongue.

1. A muscular organ on the floor of the mouth which aids in chewing, swallowing, and speech, and is the location of the taste buds, the organs of the sense of taste.

The taste buds are located in the papillae (puh PILL ee), which are projections, or bumps, on the upper surface of the tongue that sense flavors; such as, bitter, sweet, salty, and sour.

2. The movable fleshy organ attached to the bottom of the inside of the mouth of humans and most animals, used for tasting, licking, swallowing, and, in humans, speech.

As stated previously, the tongue is a strong muscle anchored to the floor of the mouth. It is covered by the lingual membrane which has special areas to detect tastes.

The tongue is attached to the lower jaw and to the hyoid bone (a small, U-shaped bone that lies deep in the muscles at the back of the tongue) above the larynx.

Again, as defined above, on the top surface of the tongue there are small nodules called papillae that give the tongue its rough texture.

Between the papillae at the sides and base of the tongue, there are small bulb-like structures that are the taste buds. The muscle fibers of the tongue are heavily supplied with nerves.

The tongue aids in the formation of the sounds of speech and coordinates its movements to aid in swallowing.

The adjective for tongue is "lingual"; so, the papillae of the tongue are the lingual papillae.

bite one's tongue off

To be immediately sorry for what one has said. "When I realized that he heard what we said about him, I could have bitten my tongue off."

cat got one's tongue

When someone is not able or willing to talk because of shyness. "The young boy had a speech to make, but apparently the cat got his tongue."

find one's tongue

To be able to speak, especially after a period during which one has been too afraid or modest to speak. "She found her tongue after she left the school room with her mother."

have, or speak, with a forked tongue.

To speak deceitfully, to prevaricate, or to lie. "When he said he had to stay home because he was sick, then went to a movie, he was speaking with a forked tongue."

hold one's tongue

To be silent; keep still; not talking. "His mother told her son to hold his tongue when he started to talk back to her."

keep a civil tongue in one's head

To be polite in speaking. "The bus driver was yelling at the woman and she told him to keep a civil tongue in his head."

lose one's tongue

To be so embarrassed, or surprised, that one cannot talk; or to lose the capacity to speak because of some kind of shock. "She would always lose her tongue when she had to explain her reason for not eating meat."

on the tip of one's tongue

almost able to speak; at the point of being said. "I have the word on the tip of my tongue."

sharp tongue

The tendency to be bad-tempered or sarcastic in speech. "He couldn't tolerate his wife's sharp tongue any longer."

slip of the tongue

The mistake of saying something you had not wanted or planned to say; an error of speech. "He would not have known our secret if she had not made a slip of the tongue.

tongue in cheek

To say something that one does not intend literally or seriously. "He told her, with tongue in cheek, that her car was stolen."

tongue-lashing

A sharp scolding or criticism. "She was given a tongue-lashing for spilling milk all over the floor."

tongue-tied

To be slow or unable to speak because of bashfulness, nervousness, or some physical malformation. "He was tongue-tied when he was introduced to the beautiful girl."

tongue-twister

A word or group of words which are difficult to pronounce or to say. " 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers," is a well-known tongue twister."

tongues wag

People who speak in an excited or gossipy manner; people who spread rumors. "Tongues wagged when the small-town bank manager started to drive a new Mercedes limousine."