givetongue (third-person singular simple presentgives tongue,present participlegiving tongue,simple pastgave tongue,past participlegiven tongue)
- (of an animal) Tovocalize loudly.
- (of a dog or othercanine) Tobark; tohowl,bay.
The houndsgave tongue as they scented the fox nearby.
1778, Gregory Lewis Way,Learning at a Loss, or The Amours of Mr. Pedant and Miss Hartley[1], volume 2, London, page150:He never goes by my Kennel but the Dogsgive tongue;
1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym;Charlotte Brontë], “Mr. Donne’s Exodus”, inShirley. A Tale. […], volume II, London:Smith, Elder and Co., […],→OCLC,page99:The black-muzzled, tawny dog, a glimpse of which was seen in the chapter which first introduced its mistress to the reader, heregave tongue in the hall, amidst whose hollow space the deep bark resounded formidably.
1913,Peter B. Kyne,The Three Godfathers[2], New York: George H. Doran, page68:About two o’clock in the morning the moon came out; from somewhere in the distance a coyotegave tongue, and The Worst Bad Man shivered a little.
1928,Radclyffe Hall, chapter 4, inThe Well of Loneliness, London:Jonathan Cape,→OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.:Covici Friede Publishers, October 1932,→OCLC, book 1, section 3,page40:The strange, implacable heart-broken music of houndsgiving tongue as they break from cover;[…]
- (of a bird) Tocry.
1919,Henry De Vere Stacpoole,The Beach of Dreams[3], Toronto: S. B. Gundy, Part 1, Chapter 6, p. 65:As the boat drew near theguillemotsgave tongue. The sound came against the wind fierce and complaining, antagonistic like the voice of loneliness crying out against them and telling them to be gone—be gone—be gone!
- (of an object that makes a loud noise) Toring out,sound.
1899,Alice Dunbar Nelson, “The Goodness of Saint Rocque”, inThe Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories[5]:There was a hoarse, rusty little bell on the gate thatgave queruloustongue as she pushed it open.
1917,Rafael Sabatini, chapter 1, inThe Snare[6], page20:From the belfry of the little church a bell suddenlygave tongue upon a frantic, hurried note that spoke unmistakably of alarm.
1918,Gilbert Frankau, “The Song of the Gunner-Dead”, inThe Judgement of Valhalla[7], London: Chatto & Windus, page16:[…] gunsgave tongue and breech-blocks swung
And palms rammed home the shell.
- (of a person) Tovocalizeaudibly.
- Synonyms:call out,cry out
1903,P. G. Wodehouse, “Harrison’s Slight Error”, inTales of St. Austin’s[8], London: A. & C. Black, published1923, page45:His sympathetic school-fellows grasped the full humour of the situation as one man, andgave tongue once more in chorus.
1912,Saki, “The Quest”, inThe Chronicles of Clovis[9], London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, page119:The Momebys had lost their infant child[…]; they were looking for it in wild, undisciplined fashion,giving tongue the whole time, which accounted for the outcry which swept through house and garden whenever they returned to try the home coverts anew.
1978,Lawrence Durrell, chapter 6, inLivia[10], New York: Viking, published1979, page198:Here were the practice rooms where right round the clock one heard pianos playing scales and snatches of classical music, heard sopranosgiving tongue, heard the gruff commentary of tubas practising.
- To giveexpressionto (something); toexpress.
She felt unable togive tongue to her feelings.
1855,Frederick Douglass, chapter 11, inMy Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York, Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […],→OCLC:The reading of these speeches added much to my limited stock of language, and enabled me togive tongue to many interesting thoughts, which had frequently flashed through my soul, and died away for want of utterance.
1900,Sabine Baring-Gould, “Crazy Jane”, inIn a Quiet Village[11], London: Isbister, page314:Mrs. Thacker had a fretful, irritable temper, and the presence of Crazy Jane furnished her with an occasion forgiving tongue to her annoyance[…]
1979,William Styron, chapter 11, inSophie’s Choice[12], New York: Bantam, published1980, page378:God, if she only knew what manner of sugarplums danced in my head when shegave tongue to such delicious conceits.
