civil tongue
A polite manner of speaking.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Please keep a civil tongue when you talk to your sister.”
“Even though he was angry about the mistake, he kept a civil tongue during the meeting to remain professional.”
“Despite the intense provocation from his opponent, the diplomat maintained a civil tongue, refusing to descend into the petty insults that defined the rest of the debate.”
- 01
bite one's tongue
To resist the urge to speak out, especially in order to avoid saying something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute.
- 02
cat got someone's tongue
Why is someone not saying anything?
- 03
find one's tongue
To speak after being unable to do so or after remaining silent; to find something to say.
- 04
forked tongue
The characteristic of deceptiveness; duplicity; untruthfulness.
- 05
hold one's tongue
To refrain from talking about something.
- 06
keep a civil tongue in one's head
To maintain a polite manner of speaking.
- 07
lay one's tongue to
To say; to name; to think of to say.
- 08
loose tongue
The act or habit of excessively speaking or discussing subjects that are private or confidential.
Last updated August 10, 2026