Talk & Tongue
talk
/tɔːk/ [intransitive verb]
if you say that people talk,
you mean that they talk about other people’s private lives and behaviour,
usually in a disapproving way:
▪ We mustn’t be seen
together in public again. People are starting to talk.
talk about somebody
behind their back /ˌtɔːk əbaʊt (sb) bɪˌhaɪnd ðeəʳ
ˈbæk/ [verb phrase]
to talk about someone when they are
not present:
▪ I hate people who
talk about you behind your back and then pretend to be nice to you when they
meet you.
tongues are
wagging /ˌtʌŋz əʳ ˈwægɪŋ/
used for saying that many people are
talking about someone’s private life in an unkind or disapproving way:
▪ Tongues
are wagging about Hollywood’s newest couple.
set tongues
wagging
cause people to
start talking about you
▪ Thurmond’s
marriage so soon after his wife died set tongues wagging.
