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- keep a civil tongue in one's head
keep a civil tongue in one's head
keep a civil tongue in one's head
Speak politely, as in The teacher won't allow swearing; she says we must keep a civil tongue in our heads. This expression uses tongue in the sense of "a manner of speaking," a usage dating from the 1400s. An early cautionary version was "Keep a good tongue in your head, lest it hurt your teeth" (1595).
Common Names:
Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
Maeghan | | MEG-ən | English (Rare) |
Benj | | BENJ | English |
Olivie | | o-lee-VEE (French) | French, Czech |
Allegria | | - | English (Rare) |
JoÃO | | ZHWOWN, zhoo-OWN | Portuguese |
Adrianus | | ah-dree-AH-nus, AH-dree-ah-nus | Dutch |