cheek
(redirected from cheeks you)(with) tongue in cheek
Humorous or intended as a joke, though seeming or appearing to be serious. Hyphenated as "tongue-in-cheek" if used before a noun. I thought it was obvious that my comments were tongue in cheek, but I guess I delivered them with too much of a straight face, because it seems like I offended several people at the party. The zombie movie, very much with tongue in cheek, gives a clever criticism of American consumerism. She peppered her speech with tongue-in-cheek observations about the ineptitude of the company's upper management.
bring the roses to (one's) cheeks
To make one vigorous and healthful, or to make them appear as such. Nothing will bring the roses to your cheeks like a little bit of exercise every day. I drink a small glass of red wine each evening to bring the roses to my cheeks. Whew, a few minutes out in that cold wind will bring the roses to your cheeks!
cheek
informal Primarily heard in UK.
1. noun An impudent answer or response; back talk. A: "Tommy, please clean your room." B: "Go clean it yourself!" A: "Give me cheek like that again and I'll tan your hide!" He was given detention for all his cheek in class. I won't stand for that cheek, young lady. Go to your room!
2. verb To answer or respond to (someone) in an impudent or insolent manner. He was given detention for cheeking his teacher in the middle of class. Don't you dare cheek me like that, son! Please behave well for your grandparents, OK? Don't cheek them while we're away.
cheek by jowl
Positioned very close together. (The cheek and the jowl—the lower part of the jaw—are in close proximity to each other on the face.) You couldn't fit a piece of paper in the storage room now—all those boxes are stacked in there cheek by jowl. Don't plant those bushes cheek by jowl, or they'll overcrowd each other once they start blooming. How exactly do you think we're gonna get closer to the stage with all these people packed in cheek by jowl?
cheek to cheek
Of two people, physically close enough to touch cheeks. A: "What makes you say that Eddie and Tara got back together?" B: "Well, I just saw them dancing cheek to cheek in the ballroom, for starters." I hate having to stand cheek to cheek with strangers on the subway during rush hour. How exactly do you think we're gonna get closer to the stage with all these people packed in cheek to cheek?
have the cheek to (do something)
To be so brazen as to do something insolent. If you have the cheek to sass your teacher in the middle of class, then you'll have no problem staying after school for detention. I can't believe Tom had the cheek to disrupt the board meeting with his baseless claims. I can't believe that girl has the cheek to push her way to the front of the line like that!
I like (someone's) cheek
I think someone is audacious, brazen, or sassy. Can be positive or negative. I like her cheek, waltzing back in here like nothing happened. I like your cheek, kid. You're hired. I like your cheek, telling that guy off. That's the kind of person I want on my team.
I like (someone's) nerve
I think someone is audacious, brazen, or sassy. Can be positive or negative. I like her nerve, waltzing back in here like nothing happened. I like your nerve, kid. You're hired. I like your nerve, telling that guy off. That's the kind of person I want on my team.
of all the
Used to express great annoyance, exasperation, impatience, or frustration with someone or something. You put diesel fuel into the car? Of all the stupid, careless things to do—now the car is ruined! Of all the nerve, implying that I'm somehow to blame for the project's failure!
put the roses back in (one's) cheeks
To make one appear more vigorous and healthful than they did previously; to return one to a healthy complexion. Nothing will put the roses back in your cheeks like a trip to the seaside. After a long day, I like to drink a glass of red wine to put the roses back in my cheeks.
put the roses in (one's) cheeks
To make someone vigorous and healthful, or to make them appear as such. Nothing will put the roses in your cheeks like a little bit of exercise every day. I drink a small glass of red wine each evening to put the roses in my cheeks.
rosy-cheeked
Having pink cheeks. Look at the adorable rosy-cheeked little girl with the big bow! What a cutie. The kids came in breathless and rosy-cheeked from a long day of sledding.
the cheek of (someone)!
An exclamation of shocked disapproval regarding something someone said or did. Primarily heard in Ireland. They thought I would just go along with their plan to cut my pay while taking on more responsibility. The cheek of them! The cheek of you—how dare you suggest something so horrible!
tongue-in-cheek
Jocular or humorous, though seeming or appearing to be serious. The president's tongue-in-cheek speech about the "War on Couch Potatoes" has been extremely popular on the Internet this week.
turn the other cheek
To accept mistreatment without retaliating or seeking revenge. The phrase originates from Jesus's instruction to his followers in the Bible. Yes, he was very rude to me, but I know he's not well, so I turned the other cheek.
water (one's) cheeks
euphemism To weep; to have tears streaming down one's face. Sitting there watering your cheeks isn't going to solve anything. You need to stand up, dust yourself off, and try again! There wasn't a person in the audience who wasn't watering their cheeks by the end of the film.
with (one's) tongue in (one's) cheek
Humorously or as a joke, though seeming or appearing to be serious. The president gave a speech on April Fools' Day about the "War on Couch Potatoes," which he delivered with his tongue in his cheek. The zombie movie, very much with its tongue in its cheek, gives a clever criticism of American consumerism.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cheek by jowl
Fig. side by side; close together. The pedestrians had to walk cheek by jowl along the narrow streets. The two families lived cheek by jowl in one house.
tongue-in-cheek
Fig. insincere; joking. Ann made a tongue-in-cheek remark to John, and he got mad because he thought she was serious. The play seemed very serious at first, but then everyone saw that it was tongue-in-cheek, and they began laughing.
turn the other cheek
Fig. to ignore abuse or an insult. When Bob got mad at Mary and yelled at her, she just turned the other cheek. Usually I turn the other cheek when someone is rude to me.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cheek by jowl
Side by side, close together, as in In that crowded subway car we stood cheek by jowl, virtually holding one another up. This term dates from the 16th century, when it replaced cheek by cheek.
tongue in cheek, with
Ironically or as a joke, as in Was he speaking with tongue in cheek when he said Sally should run for president? This term probably alludes to the facial expression produced by poking one's tongue in one's cheek, perhaps to suppress a smile. [First half of 1800s]
See also: tongue
turn the other cheek
Respond meekly or mildly to insult or injury without retaliating. For example, There's no point in arguing with that unreasonable supervisor; just turn the other cheek . This expression comes from the New Testament, in which Jesus tells his followers to love their enemies and offer their other cheek to those who have struck one cheek (Luke 6:29).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
cheek by jowl
COMMON If people or things are cheek by jowl, they are very close together, especially in a way that seems strange. The two communities had lived cheek by jowl. The houses of the rich and poor stood cheek by jowl. Note: `Jowl' is an old-fashioned word for `cheek'.
turn the other cheek
COMMON If you turn the other cheek when someone harms or insults you, you do not take action against them in return. Ian must learn to turn the other cheek, no matter what the provocation. If they refuse to deal with these racists, we will take matters into our own hands. The days of turning the other cheek are long over. Note: This expression comes from Jesus's words to His followers in the Bible: `Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.' (Matthew 5:39)
tongue in cheek
COMMON If a remark or piece of writing is tongue in cheek, it is meant to be funny and is not meant to be taken seriously. I think people are taking all this more seriously than we intended. It was supposed to be tongue in cheek. Note: You can also say that someone is talking or writing with tongue in cheek or with their tongue in their cheek. If Howard said that, it must have been with tongue in cheek. Labour MPs, some with their tongue firmly in their cheeks, judged the result to have been a great success. Note: Tongue-in-cheek can also be used before a noun. The advert was meant to be a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek approach. We never intended to offend anyone.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
cheek by jowl
close together; side by side.Jowl here is used in the sense ‘cheek’; the phrase was originally cheek by cheek .
turn the other cheek
refrain from retaliating when you have been attacked or insulted.This expression comes from Matthew 5:39: ‘But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also’.
(with) tongue in cheek
speaking or writing in an ironic or insincere way.This expression originated in the fuller form put or thrust your tongue in your cheek , meaning ‘speak insincerely’. At one time, putting your tongue in your cheek could also be a gesture of contempt, but that shade of meaning has disappeared from the modern idiom.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
of ˌall the ˈcheek, ˈnerve, stupid things to ˈdo, etc.!
(informal) used to express annoyance, impatience, etc. at what another person has done or said: Of all the idiots, leaving his car unlocked in the middle of town!This expression is often used without a noun, especially to show that somebody is annoyed: She said I was fat? Well, of all the ...!
ˌcheek by ˈjowl (with somebody/something)
side by side (with somebody/something); very near: If he’d known that he was to find himself seated cheek by jowl with his old enemy he wouldn’t have attended the dinner.The jowl is the lower part of the cheek and so the cheek and the jowl are next to each other.
turn the other ˈcheek
make a deliberate decision to remain calm and not to act in an aggressive way when somebody has hurt you or made you angry: It’s hard to just turn the other cheek when people are criticizing you unfairly.This is a phrase used by Jesus in the Bible.I like your ˈnerve, ˈcheek, etc.
,I like ˈthat!
(informal, ironic) used for saying that you think somebody’s behaviour is very unreasonable or unfair: She crashed into my car and now she wants me to pay for hers to be repaired. Well I like her nerve! ♢ He wants me to do his work for him while he goes to a football game! Well, I like that!See also: like
put the ˈroses back in your cheeks
(British English, informal) make you look healthier because you are not so pale: A week in the countryside will put the roses back in your cheeks.(with) tongue in ˈcheek
(also with your tongue in your ˈcheek) if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you are not being serious and mean it as a joke: I never know if Charlie’s serious or if he’s speaking with tongue in cheek. ♢ a tongue-in-cheek remark OPPOSITE: in all seriousnessFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
tongue in cheek
and TIC phr. & comp. abb. a phrase said when the speaker is joking or not being sincere. My comment was made TIC. Don’t take me seriously.
water one’s cheeks
tv. to cry; to shed tears sobbing. Poor Billy was watering his cheeks all night because his dog ran away.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
cheek by jowl
Side by side; close together.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
cheek by jowl
Close, intimate, side by side. The term is a very old one, dating back to the sixteenth century (when it apparently replaced the still older cheek by cheek: “I’ll go with thee, cheek by jowl,” wrote Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 3.2). Eric Partridge deemed it a cliché by the mid-eighteenth century.
tongue in cheek, with
To speak ironically or mockingly; slyly insincere. Presumably this term originally referred to the mocking facial expression resulting from poking one’s tongue in one’s cheek. It dates from the first half of the nineteenth century. H. McLeave used it in Borderline Case (1979): “‘Only for those people who have something sinister to hide,’ he said, tongue-in-cheek.”
See also: tongue
turn the other cheek, to
To respond meekly to insults, provocation, or oppression. The term comes from the Bible, where Jesus exhorts his followers, “Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other” (Luke 6:29). Although the term persists to the present, over the centuries it has given rise to heated arguments concerning the wisdom of such behavior. “Turning the other cheek is a kind of moral jiu-jitsu,” wrote Gerald S. Lee in Crowds (1913), but some psychologists believe it simply encourages the aggressor and heightens hostilities.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer