tongue-in-cheek
Not intended seriouslyNot intended seriously; jocular or humorous.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.
He gave a tongue-in-cheek explanation of why the sky was blue, offering a theory about some primordial discount on light blue paint.
augenzwinkernd, mit einem Augenzwinkern
насме́шливыйnasméšlivyj, лука́выйlukávyj, шутливыйšutlivyj
- cleverly amusing in tone
Translations
5 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
This phrase alludes to the facial expression created by putting one's tongue in one's cheeThis phrase alludes to the facial expression created by putting one's tongue in one's cheek. The term first appeared in print in 1828, but it isn't entirely clear that it was used with the modern, rather than a literal, sense. A later citation from Richard Barham is unambiguous.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more tongue-in-cheek, most tongue-in-cheek| Comparative | more tongue-in-cheek Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most tongue-in-cheek Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
17 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.