Idioms

a slip of the tongue

This page is about the idiom a slip of the tongue

Meaning

If you make a slip of the tongue, you make a small mistake when speaking.

For example

  • I really meant to say Miss Davis, not Mrs Davis, so it was just a slip of the tongue, but Judy thought I was teasing her.

  • A newsreader made a slip of the tongue when reading out the scores. He said Chelsea had lost by a goal, instead of saying they'd won by a goal.

Quick Quiz

Debbie made a slip of the tongue when she said that

a. London is in England

b. Paris is in Spain

c. Moscow is in Russia
a) London is in England b) Paris is in Spain c) Moscow is in Russia

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Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey