roll off the tongue
English
Alternative forms
Verb
- (idiomatic, of words, speech, etc.) To proceed into oral expression in a manner which is fluent, appealing, or glib.
- 1914, Julian Hawthorne, The Subterranean Brotherhood, ch. 5:
- "Coddling criminals"—the alliteration makes it roll pleasantly off the tongue!
- 1915, Joseph A. Altsheler, The Rock of Chickamauga, ch. 14:
- [H]e repeated under his breath: "The Rock of Chickamauga! The Rock of Chickamauga!" It rolled resoundingly off the tongue, and he liked it.
- 1978 Nov. 20, "Dance: Fungus, Fantasy and Fun," Time:
- Pilobolus is a word so fine and fat as it rolls off the tongue that, like a kitten or a May morning, it needs no meaning.
- 2012 July 14, Kate Murphy, "Eric Stonestreet," New York Times (retrieved 14 Aug 2012):
- I’m a fan of Aaron Sorkin. . . . I just like the way his dialogue rolls off the tongue. I like to hear people say the words he writes.
- 1914, Julian Hawthorne, The Subterranean Brotherhood, ch. 5:
References
- roll off the tongue at OneLook Dictionary Search
Translations
proceed into oral expression in a manner which is fluent
|
|
This article is issued from
Wiktionary.
The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike.
Additional terms may apply for the media files.