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Tongue-in-Cheek


The phrase 'Tongue-in-Cheek' is used to imply that a statement is not seriously intended.

Example of Use: “After waiting in line for thirty minutes, I failed to appreciate the clerk’s tongue-in-cheek comment regarding bothersome customers.”


Interesting fact about Tongue-in-Cheek

To put one’s tongue into one’s cheek was formerly a nonverbal method of expressing contempt. By 1842, the expression as well as the phrase acquired their contemporary meaning, indicating that a statement should not be taken seriously.