tongue in cheek
Meaning
Said or done as a joke, not meant to be taken seriously; often with subtle irony or mock seriousness.
Origin
From the physical gesture of pressing the tongue into the cheek to hold back a smile or laughter, suggesting concealed amusement; recorded in English since the 19th century.
Notes
Often witty, ironic, or teasing; implies the speaker isn’t fully serious even if wording sounds serious. Common in speech and writing; can be misread as rude or insincere.
Examples
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His apology was clearly tongue in cheek.
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She made a tongue-in-cheek comment about becoming the office CEO.
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The article is tongue in cheek, so don’t take every claim literally.
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I said it tongue in cheek, but he got offended anyway.
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Their new ad campaign uses tongue-in-cheek humor to mock luxury culture.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Used adverbially (“say it tongue in cheek”) or as an adjective (“a tongue-in-cheek remark/article”). As an adjective it’s commonly hyphenated. Word order is fairly fixed.
Synonyms
- jokingly
- facetiously
- ironically
- with a wink
- not seriously
Antonyms
- seriously
- sincerely
- in earnest
- in all seriousness