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tongues wagging
informalDefinition
› If what someone says or does starts tongues wagging, it causes other people to start talking and guessing things about their private lives: Do you think if we leave the party together it will set/start tongues wagging? They tried to keep their affair secret, but it wasn't long before tongues began to wag.Revealing secrets and becoming known
(Definition of tongues wagging from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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- Admitting & confessing
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- People who reveal secrets & tell tales
- Questioning people & asking questions in general
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SMART Thesaurus: Revealing secrets & becoming known
Synonyms and related words:
- (the) word is/gets out idiom
- blow the whistle on sb/sth idiom
- blow/take the lid off sth idiom
- break verb (BECOME KNOWN)
- emerge verb (BECOME KNOWN)
- grass on sb phrasal verb
- King's evidence noun
- leak noun (INFORMATION)
- leak verb (INFORMATION)
- let sb in on a secret idiom
- open sb's eyes idiom
- open sth up phrasal verb (SHOW)
- open your heart to someone idiom
- rat on sb/sth phrasal verb
- sneak verb (TELL SECRETLY)
- squeal verb
- tell on sb phrasal verb (INFORM)
- telltale adjective
- turn out phrasal verb (HAPPEN)
- turn the spotlight on sth idiom
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