摘要：它本身字面意思就是“在舌尖”，要说的内容都已经到舌尖了，偏偏就是想不起来、说不出口。

on the tip of your tongue

话在嘴边上（想说而未说的；却一时想不起来）

它本身字面意思就是“在舌尖”，要说的内容都已经到舌尖了，偏偏就是想不起来、说不出口。

if a word or name is on the tip of your tongue , you are sure that you know it but you cannot remember it

请看经典例句：

A sarcastic remark was on the tip of her tongue.

挖苦的话到了她嘴边却没说出来。

She kept back with difficulty the bitter words on the tip of her tongue.

她困难地缩回已经到了舌头尖上的怨言。

It was on the tip of Mahoney's tongue to say the boss was out

马奥尼想说老板出去了，话到嘴边却没说出口。

Ever had something on the tip of your tongue, but the harder you try to remember it, the more it slips away?

你有没有遇到过，有时候话到嘴边却不记得了，你越是努力去想，就越是想不起来的情况？

I have her name on the tip of my tongue.

我几乎想起她的名字。

Your name is just on the tip of my tongue.

你的名字到嘴边就忘了。

Her telephone number is right on the tip of my tongue.

我就是想不起来她的电话号码。

The singer's name is right on the tip of my tongue.

我就是想不起来那位歌手的名字。

The answer was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t think of it.

我差点就想起那答案来，可就是想不起来。

His name was on the tip of my tongue, but I just could not recall it.

他的名字很熟但我就是一时记不起来了。

关于tongue的一些地道用法

1. roll/slip/trip off the tongue容易说（或发音）；顺口

It's not a name that exactly trips off the tongue, is it?

这个名字叫起来拗口，是不是？

2. bite one's tongue ；hold your tongue/peace忍住不说（避免祸从口出）；保持缄默

I didn't believe her explanation but I bit my tongue.

我不相信她的解释，但我忍着没有说出来。

Douglas held his tongue, preferring not to speak out on a politically sensitive issue.

道格拉斯沉默不语，不愿谈论政治敏感问题。

What he had done really made me angry, but I bit my tongue.

他所做的确实让我很生气，但我强忍住不说。

I really wanted to tell her what I thought of him but I had to bite my tongue.

我很想跟她说我对他的看法，但是我还是忍住没说。

3. find one's voice/tongue能开口了；能说出自己的看法；能表达自己的意见

He wanted to tell you the truth, but he couldn’t find his tongue at that time.

他想告诉你实情，但是当时却什么都没说出来。

4. cause tongues to wag 使议论纷纷；

set tongues wagging惹得满城风雨；使议论纷纷；招闲话

to cause people to start talking about sb's private affairs

The way Mary was so scantily dressed will also cause tongues to wag.

玛丽穿得那么暴露，肯定会让人说闲话的。

What set tongues wagging was the age difference between the two partners.

这对伴侣年龄上的差异招来了不少闲话。

5. loosen one's tongue 酒后不自觉地说很多话；

A few drinks loosened his tongue and he told me some secrets.

喝了几杯酒后话匣子便打开了，他告诉了我一些秘密。

A bottle of wine had loosened Harry's tongue.

一瓶酒下肚，哈里的话匣子便打开了。

The vodka really loosened her tongue and I found out exactly what happened that night.

喝了伏特加酒之后，她就开始话多了起来，我终于发现了那天晚上到底发生了什么。

6. sharp tongue 说话刻薄；

He has quite a sharp tongue. Don't be totally unnerved by what he says or the way he says it.

他就是说话刻薄，别因为他说的话或是他说话的方式生气。

7. silver-tongued 雄辩的；

He was a silver-tongued orator.

他是位口才很好的演说家。

9.forked tongue 骗人的假话 ​

Don't trust the guy. He usually speaks with a forked tongue. He'll promise you to do one thing but more often than not he'll turn around and do exactly the opposite.

可别信任那家伙，他老是说假话。他会答应你去做一件事情，但是通常却阳奉阴违，干出适得其反的事儿来。

10. a slip of the pen/tongue

笔误；口误

a small mistake in sth that you write or say

Did I call you Richard? Sorry, Robert, just a slip of the tongue.

我刚才是不是叫你理查德了？对不起，罗伯特，我是一时口误。

At one stage he referred to Anna as John's fiancée, but later said that was a slip of the tongue.

曾有那么一段时间他把安娜称作约翰的未婚妻，但后来又说那是口误。

11. have a loose tongue（尤指对隐私）多嘴，饶舌

to talk too much, especially about things that are private

loosen sb's tongue使无拘束地说话；使自由自在地说

to make sb talk more freely than usual

She has a loose tongue and will tell everybody.

她这人嘴很快，跟谁都会说。

12. keep a civil tongue（in one's head）说话礼貌；避免使用无礼或粗鲁的语言

措词谨慎，说话文雅，说话彬彬有礼

I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head.

请你说话讲究礼貌。

Please, John. Don't talk like that. Keep a civil tongue in your head.

约翰，请不要那样说话，说话要讲礼貌！

I don't want any outbursts between you and your sister during this dinner, so please keep a civil tongue, understood?

我不希望你和你妹妹在晚餐期间发生任何争吵，所以讲话客气点，明白吗?

I know that this is a heated topic, but I would ask that all participants in the debate please keep a civil tongue.

我知道这是个激烈的话题，但是我会要求参与辩论的人说话讲礼貌。

Although she was angry, she kept a civil tongue.

尽管她很生气，但是她说话很讲礼貌！

13. smite with the tongue 含血喷人，诽谤;谴责

14. on the tongues of men (on everyone’s tongue) 被众人谈论

15. have lost one’s tongue 语塞，闭口不言，因…说不出话来，噤不能言

16. with one’s tongue in one’s cheek假心假意地，(说话)无诚意地，言不由衷地

He has a very plausible way of talking; sometimes he talks with the tongue in the cheek.

他讲起话来非常动听，但有时话中有话。

17. give tongue 直言无忌，明确地表示出来

18. a tongue-lashing 斥责、训斥

When I was ten years old, mother caught me smoking a cigarette in the backyard. She gave me such a tongue-lashing that I've never touched another cigarette all my life.

我十岁的时候躲在后院抽香烟时给妈妈抓到了。她狠狠地训了我一顿，我一辈子再也没碰过香烟。

19. watch your mouth/tongue/language说话当心；嘴上留个把门的, 注意言辞，不要说脏话，嘴巴放干净点儿

to be careful what you say in order not to offend sb or make them angry

Hey, keep your shirt on. Watch your mouth! This is not the right occasion.

嗨，耐心点儿，注意你的言辞。这不是合适的场合。

Hey, watch your mouth. No swearing.

嘿，嘴巴放干净点儿，别说脏话。

Watch your mouth! How would you feel if someone said that about you?

注意你的言辞！如果别人这样说你，你会怎么想？

He threatened me and asked me to watch my mouth.

他威胁我，让我说话小心点。

Watch your mouth! She's your teacher! Don't talk to her like that.

来源：翅膀英语一点号