Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

loosen someone's tongue

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.29 in modern English

Syllables: loosen -some-one's -tongue
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause one to speak more freely; to cause one to discuss a subject that would not usually be discussed.

Informal

Example Sentences

"He made a long stay in the dining-room after dinner, and, I fear, took an unusual quantity of wine, but not enough to loosen his tongue: for when he came in and found me quietly occupied with my book, too busy to lift my head on his entrance, he merely murmured an expression of suppressed disapprobation […]"
"We relapsed into silence. Presently he laughed. “There’s something in this starlight that loosens one’s tongue. I’m an ass, and yet somehow I would like to tell you.”"
"He admired the dexterity with which their host directed the conversation. The five young men had various tastes and their tongues had been loosened."
"Tommy had apparently been plied with ice cream and soda pop at the police station, to loosen his tongue."

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

loosens someone's tongue (present, singular) loosening someone's tongue (participle, present) loosened someone's tongue (participle, past) loosened someone's tongue (past)

Phrases

in vino veritas in wine, there is truth loose lips sink ships

Frequently Paired Words

in vino veritas in wine, there is truth loose lips sink ships

Questions

What does loosen someone's tongue mean?: To cause one to speak more freely; to cause one to discuss a subject that would not usually be discussed.

How to pronounce loosen someone's tongue

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