"on the tip of one's tongue" meaning in English

See on the tip of one's tongue in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-on the tip of one's tongue.wav
Head templates: {{head|en|prepositional phrase}} on the tip of one's tongue
  1. Known but not quite able to be recalled. Related terms: TOT, lethologica, presque vu Translations (known but not quite remembered): a la punta de la llengua [feminine] (Catalan), 一時想不起來 (Chinese Mandarin), 一时想不起来 (yīshí xiǎng bù qǐlai) (Chinese Mandarin), op het puntje van zijn tong (Dutch), sur la pinto de la lango (Esperanto), kielen päällä (Finnish), sur le bout de la langue (French), na punta da lingua (Galician), ენაზე მოადგება (enaze moadgeba) (Georgian), auf der Zunge liegen (German), στην άκρη της γλώσσας (stin ákri tis glóssas) (Greek), a nyelve hegyén (Hungarian), ar bharr do theanga (Irish), ar bharr do ghoib (Irish), sulla punta della lingua (Italian), នៅចុងៗមាត់ (nŏuchŏngchŏngméat) (Khmer), ha det på tungen (Norwegian Bokmål), ha noe på tungen (Norwegian Bokmål), دانستن چیزی ولی فراموشی موقتی آن (Persian), na końcu języka (Polish), estar na ponta da língua (Portuguese), pe limbă (Romanian), на ко́нчике языка́ (na kónčike jazyká) (Russian), крутиться на языке (krutitʹsja na jazyke) (Russian), air bàrr teangaidh (Scottish Gaelic), en la punta de la lengua (Spanish), ha något på tungan (Swedish), ha något i bakhuvudet (Swedish), dilin ucunda olmak (Turkish), на кінчику язика (na kinčyku jazyka) (Ukrainian), l' awè sol betchete del linwe (Walloon), l' awè sol dibout del linwe (Walloon), אויף שפּיץ צונג (oyf shpits tsung) (Yiddish)
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        {
          "text": "Her name is on the tip of my tongue: it's Kathy, or Karen, or something.",
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          "ref": "2001, Daniel L. Schacter, The Seven Sins of Memory, How the Mind Forgets and Remembers, Houghton Mifflin, →ISBN:",
          "text": "The feeling that a blocked word or name is on the tip of the tongue appears to be a near-universal experience. The cognitive psychologist Bennett Schwarz surveyed speakers of fifty-one different languages and found that forty-five of them contain expressions using \"the tongue\" to describe situations […]",
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      "glosses": [
        "Known but not quite able to be recalled."
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      "id": "en-on_the_tip_of_one's_tongue-en-prep_phrase-tAXN5T5z",
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          "Known",
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      "related": [
        {
          "word": "TOT"
        },
        {
          "word": "lethologica"
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        {
          "word": "presque vu"
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      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "a la punta de la llengua"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "一時想不起來"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yīshí xiǎng bù qǐlai",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "一时想不起来"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "op het puntje van zijn tong"
        },
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          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "sur la pinto de la lango"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "kielen päällä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "sur le bout de la langue"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "na punta da lingua"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "enaze moadgeba",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ენაზე მოადგება"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "auf der Zunge liegen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "stin ákri tis glóssas",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "στην άκρη της γλώσσας"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "a nyelve hegyén"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ar bharr do theanga"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ar bharr do ghoib"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "sulla punta della lingua"
        },
        {
          "code": "km",
          "lang": "Khmer",
          "roman": "nŏuchŏngchŏngméat",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "នៅចុងៗមាត់"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ha det på tungen"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ha noe på tungen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "دانستن چیزی ولی فراموشی موقتی آن"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "na końcu języka"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "estar na ponta da língua"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "pe limbă"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "na kónčike jazyká",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "на ко́нчике языка́"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "на языке́ ве́ртится (na jazyké vértitsja, literally “turns on [my] tongue”)",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "krutitʹsja na jazyke",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "крутиться на языке"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "air bàrr teangaidh"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "en la punta de la lengua"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ha något på tungan"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "ha något i bakhuvudet"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "dilin ucunda olmak"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "na kinčyku jazyka",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "на кінчику язика"
        },
        {
          "code": "wa",
          "lang": "Walloon",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "l' awè sol betchete del linwe"
        },
        {
          "code": "wa",
          "lang": "Walloon",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "l' awè sol dibout del linwe"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "roman": "oyf shpits tsung",
          "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
          "word": "אויף שפּיץ צונג"
        }
      ]
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    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
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      "word": "a la punta de la llengua"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "一時想不起來"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yīshí xiǎng bù qǐlai",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "一时想不起来"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "op het puntje van zijn tong"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "sur la pinto de la lango"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "kielen päällä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "sur le bout de la langue"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "na punta da lingua"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "enaze moadgeba",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ენაზე მოადგება"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "auf der Zunge liegen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "stin ákri tis glóssas",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "στην άκρη της γλώσσας"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "a nyelve hegyén"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ar bharr do theanga"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ar bharr do ghoib"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "sulla punta della lingua"
    },
    {
      "code": "km",
      "lang": "Khmer",
      "roman": "nŏuchŏngchŏngméat",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "នៅចុងៗមាត់"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ha det på tungen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ha noe på tungen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "دانستن چیزی ولی فراموشی موقتی آن"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "na końcu języka"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "estar na ponta da língua"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "pe limbă"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "na kónčike jazyká",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "на ко́нчике языка́"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "на языке́ ве́ртится (na jazyké vértitsja, literally “turns on [my] tongue”)",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "krutitʹsja na jazyke",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "крутиться на языке"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "air bàrr teangaidh"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "en la punta de la lengua"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ha något på tungan"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "ha något i bakhuvudet"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "dilin ucunda olmak"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "na kinčyku jazyka",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "на кінчику язика"
    },
    {
      "code": "wa",
      "lang": "Walloon",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "l' awè sol betchete del linwe"
    },
    {
      "code": "wa",
      "lang": "Walloon",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "l' awè sol dibout del linwe"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "roman": "oyf shpits tsung",
      "sense": "known but not quite remembered",
      "word": "אויף שפּיץ צונג"
    }
  ],
  "word": "on the tip of one's tongue"
}

Download raw JSONL data for on the tip of one's tongue meaning in English (7.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.