tongue-tie

[ tuhng-tahy ]

/ ˈtʌŋˌtaɪ /

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See synonyms for: tongue-tie / tongue-tied on Thesaurus.com

noun

impeded motion of the tongue caused especially by shortness of the frenum, which binds it to the floor of the mouth.

verb (used with object), tongue-tied, tongue-ty·ing.

to make tongue-tied.

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ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

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True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Origin of tongue-tie

First recorded in 1545–55; back formation from tongue-tied

Words nearby tongue-tie

tongue-in-cheek, tongue-lash, Tongue River, tongue sole, tongues wag, tongue-tie, tongue-tied, tongue twister, tongue worm, tonguing, tonguing-and-grooving plane

How to use tongue-tie in a sentence

What could be more important, to make sure that side of things is right before we tie ourselves to someone forever?
‘Downton Abbey’ Review: A Fire, Some Sex, and Sad, Sad Edith|Kevin Fallon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In fact, Clark fell back first from her blows, losing his cap, tie, and badge in the melee.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After the release of the trailer for the special last week, TLC received a requisite and perhaps well-deserved tongue-lashing.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, an article designed to act as a tie-in to the piece has been published as planned in the BBC magazine Radio Times.
Pulled Documentary Says William Felt ‘Used’ by Charles’ Push for Camilla|Tom Sykes|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Abramson, biting her tongue, was widely portrayed in rival outlets as classily above the fray.
The Bloodiest Media Coups of 2014|Lloyd Grove|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Perhaps you do not speak my language,” she said in Urdu, the tongue most frequently heard in Upper India.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Now first we shall want our pupil to understand, speak, read and write the mother tongue well.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The flute and the psaltery make a sweet melody, but a pleasant tongue is above them both.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Each sentence came as if torn piecemeal from his unwilling tongue; short, jerky phrases, conceived in pain and delivered in agony.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
First of all, wrap a portion of damp newspaper round the roots, and then tie up with dry paper.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

British Dictionary definitions for tongue-tie

tongue-tie

noun

a congenital condition in which the tongue has restricted mobility as the result of an abnormally short frenulum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tongue-tie

Origin of tongue-tie

Words nearby tongue-tie

Words related to tongue-tie

How to use tongue-tie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tongue-tie