Where does the phrase 'tongue in cheek' come from?

sequoianoir

Tongue In Cheek The commonly told tale about this phrase is that it derives from the acting practice of thrusting one's tongue into your cheek to keep from laughing at an inappropriate moment. There is no evidence to support this story or the idea that the phrase comes from the theater. The phrase dates to 1748 when it was fashionable to signal contempt for someone by making a bulge in your cheek with your tongue. By 1842 the phrase had acquired its modern, ironic sense. http://www.wordorigins.org/wordort.htm Mar 17 03, 6:30 PM

DPISHERE

Tongue-in-cheek is a term used to refer to humor in which a statement, or an entire fictional work, is not meant to be taken seriously, but its lack of seriousness is subtle. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "Ironic, slyly humorous; not meant to be taken seriously". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek Jul 29 08, 6:25 PM

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