Phrase guide

the rough side of one's tongue

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Angry words, harsh criticism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • 1876, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Charles of Orleans,” Chapter 4, in Familiar Studies of Men and Books, 1882, [...] Louis was then in no humour to hear Charles’s texts and Latin sentiments; he had his back to the wall, the future of France was at stake; and if all the old men in the world had crossed his path, they would have had the rough side of his tongue like Charles of Orleans.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: piece of one's mind, rebuke, reprimand, telling off, tongue-lashing

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.