roll off the tongue
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
roll off the tongue (third-person singular simple present rolls off the tongue, present participle rolling off the tongue, simple past and past participle rolled off the tongue)
- (idiomatic, of words, speech, etc.) To proceed into oral expression in a manner which is fluent, appealing, or glib.
- 1914, Julian Hawthorne, chapter 5, in The Subterranean Brotherhood:
- "Coddling criminals"—the alliteration makes it roll pleasantly off the tongue!
- 1915, Joseph A. Altsheler, chapter 14, in The Rock of Chickamauga:
- [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 November 20, “Dance: Fungus, Fantasy and Fun”, in 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.
- 1986, Marc Jordan, John Capek, “Rhythm of My Heart”, in Vagabond Heart, performed by Rod Stewart, published 1991:
- Oh, the rhythm of my heart / Is beatin' like a drum / With the words "I love you" / Rolling off my tongue
- 2012 July 14, Kate Murphy, “Eric Stonestreet”, in New York Times, retrieved 14 August 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.
Translations
proceed into oral expression in a manner which is fluent
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References
- “roll off the tongue”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
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