How to pronounce tongue-in-cheek
American English pronunciation
tung-in-CHEEK
- IPA
- /ˌtʌŋɪnˈtʃik/
- Syllables
- tung · in · CHEEK (3 syllables, stress on the 3rd)
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What tongue-in-cheek means
Meant as a joke while sounding serious
In a sentence: His tongue-in-cheek review gave the burnt toast five stars.
Where it comes from: No one is sure exactly how it started. It may come from people pressing the tongue into the cheek to show they were joking.
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