tongue
/tʌŋ/noun
उच्चारण टंग
जीभ; भाषा
Basic wordPYP · asked 3 times
Asked in previous papers
as idiom
- 1
[C]
the soft part in the mouth that moves around, used for tasting, swallowing and speaking; a language
जीभ; भाषा
- mother tongue
- She burnt her tongue on the hot tea.
- The doctor asked me to stick out my tongue.
+ 2 more examples
- Her tongue felt numb after the dentist's injection.
- Tamil is his mother tongue, but he also speaks Hindi.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
tongue = language: mother tongue / native tongue
In this sense tongue is a formal or literary word for a language. Mother tongue is the language you learn first as a child.
इस अर्थ में 'tongue' भाषा के लिए औपचारिक या साहित्यिक शब्द है। 'Mother tongue' वह भाषा है जो बच्चा सबसे पहले सीखता है।
- Hindi is the mother tongue of millions of students.
- Many tribal communities still speak in their native tongue.
on the tip of one's tongue
Use this phrase when you almost remember a word or a name but cannot say it yet.
जब आपको कोई शब्द या नाम लगभग याद हो पर आप उसे बोल न पा रहे हों, तब इस वाक्यांश का प्रयोग होता है।
- His name is on the tip of my tongue, but I cannot recall it.
hold your tongue / bite your tongue
Hold your tongue means to stay silent when you want to speak. It is a firm way to tell someone to be quiet. Bite your tongue is similar but describes self-control.
'Hold your tongue' का अर्थ बोलने की इच्छा होने पर भी चुप रहना है। यह किसी को चुप रहने के लिए कहने का सख़्त तरीका है। 'Bite your tongue' मिलता-जुलता है, पर आत्म-नियंत्रण को बताता है।
- Radhika wanted to argue, but she held her tongue.
- I had to bite my tongue when he said it.
slip of the tongue / tongue-in-cheek / tongue twister
A slip of the tongue is a small speaking mistake. Tongue-in-cheek means said as a joke. A tongue twister is a phrase that is hard to say fast.
'Slip of the tongue' बोलने की छोटी भूल है। 'Tongue-in-cheek' का अर्थ मज़ाक में कही गई बात है। 'Tongue twister' ऐसा वाक्यांश है जिसे तेज़ बोलना कठिन होता है।
- Calling the principal 'sir' as 'madam' was a slip of the tongue.
- Her remark was tongue-in-cheek, so nobody took it seriously.
+Collocations 4
adjective + tongue
sharpsilverforkedforeignnative
- The lawyer had a silver tongue and won the jury over.
verb + tongue
bite yourhold yourstick out yourloosen sb'slose your
- The little boy stuck out his tongue at the camera.
tongue + noun
twisterdepressorlashingpiercingcoating
- The doctor used a tongue depressor to check her throat.
tongue + preposition phrase
on the tip ofa slip ofwith tongue in cheekfind yourspeak in
- She spoke with tongue in cheek, and everyone laughed.
“More examples 5
- The doctor asked the patient to put out his tongue.
डॉक्टर ने रोगी से जीभ बाहर निकालने को कहा।
- A bitter remark came from his sharp tongue and hurt the new student.
उसकी तेज़ ज़बान से एक कड़वी टिप्पणी निकली और उसने नए विद्यार्थी को आहत कर दिया।
- Many Indians speak three tongues: a mother tongue, Hindi and English.
बहुत-से भारतीय तीन भाषाएँ बोलते हैं: मातृभाषा, हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी।
- The tongue of the shoe had come out, so I tied the laces again.
जूते की जीभ बाहर निकल आई थी, इसलिए मैंने फीते दोबारा बाँधे।
- She found her tongue at last and answered the interviewer clearly.
आख़िरकार उसे बोलने की हिम्मत आई और उसने साक्षात्कारकर्ता को स्पष्ट उत्तर दिया।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ He has a good command on his mother tongue.
✓ He has a good command of his mother tongue.
Command takes the preposition of when it means skill in a language.
भाषा में दक्षता के अर्थ में 'command' के साथ preposition 'of' आता है, 'on' नहीं।
✗ The answer is on the edge of my tongue.
✓ The answer is on the tip of my tongue.
The fixed idiom uses tip, not edge.
इस स्थिर मुहावरे में 'tip' आता है, 'edge' नहीं।
✗ I am sorry, I made a slip of tongue.
✓ I am sorry, I made a slip of the tongue.
The idiom keeps the definite article: a slip of the tongue.
इस मुहावरे में definite article रहता है: 'a slip of the tongue'।
¶Idioms 5
bite your tongue
to stop yourself from saying sth that might upset sb or cause an argument, although you want to speak
बोलने की इच्छा होते हुए भी चुप रह जाना
- I wanted to argue, but I bit my tongue.
- She had to bite her tongue when her senior blamed her unfairly.
be on the tip of your tongue
if a word or name is on the tip of your tongue, you are sure that you know it but cannot remember it
ज़बान पर होना (पर याद न आना)
- His name is on the tip of my tongue.
- The answer was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't recall it.
a slip of the tongue
a small mistake in which you say one thing when you mean to say sth else
ज़बान फिसल जाना, बोलने में भूल
- Calling her by her sister's name was just a slip of the tongue.
- It was a slip of the tongue; I meant Tuesday, not Thursday.
get your tongue round/around sth
to be able to pronounce a difficult word correctly
कोई कठिन शब्द ठीक से बोल पाना
- I can't get my tongue round these long German names.
- It took me weeks to get my tongue around 'entrepreneur'.
(has the) cat got your tongue?
(informal) used to ask sb why they are not saying anything
क्या ज़बान बंद हो गई? कुछ बोलते क्यों नहीं?
- What's the matter? Has the cat got your tongue?
- Cat got your tongue? You were talking all morning!
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
On the tip of your tongue (almost able to remember a word), hold your tongue (stay silent), tongue-tied (unable to speak because of nervousness), slip of the tongue (a small mistake in speaking), bite your tongue (stop yourself from saying something), mother tongue (your first language), tongue in cheek (not serious).
Idioms बहुत पूछे जाते हैं: on the tip of your tongue (कोई शब्द याद आते-आते रह जाना, ज़ुबान पर होना), hold your tongue (चुप रहना), tongue-tied (घबराहट से बोल न पाना), slip of the tongue (बोलने में छोटी गलती, ज़ुबान फिसलना), bite your tongue (स्वयं को कुछ कहने से रोकना), mother tongue (मातृभाषा), tongue in cheek (गंभीर नहीं, मज़ाक में)।
✓In the exam
General knowledge
Science: taste buds on the tongue detect sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami tastes.
विज्ञान में जीभ की स्वाद कलिकाएँ मीठा, नमकीन, खट्टा, कड़वा और umami स्वाद पहचानती हैं।