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forked tongue
noun
: intent to mislead or deceive
—usually used in the phrase to speak with forked tongue
Examples of forked tongue in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Accompanying Mama Odie was a bopping Juju, a snake companion who was bouncing over a plate of beignets, forked tongue hanging out in a dry but convincing drool.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Nearby, Otis Bofill, 5, was staring at the Komodo dragon, who kept sticking out his forked tongue in Otis’s direction.
—Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 17 Sep. 2020
For instance, Horner says that in the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park, the movie producers wanted the Velociraptors to flick forked tongues in the air, like snakes.
—Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, 19 June 2018
My boyfriend clung to Waldo’s fur and stretched his little, forked tongue out for the crickets in my hand.
—Chicago Tribune, chicagotribune.com, 2 June 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1833, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near forked tongue
Cite this Entry
“Forked tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forked%20tongue. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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