sharp end of one's tongue

noun

A scolding delivered by one.

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Meanings

noun
  1. A scolding delivered by one.

    Gave them both the sharp end of my tongue, in a way they won't forget in a hurry.

    1977, Bruce Montgomery, Edmund Crispin, The Glimpses of the Moon, page 259
    1 more example

    I crawled, wriggled, rolled and ran back into Düdenbüttel, where Borman got the sharp end of my tongue for not protecting me.

    2000, Roy Redgrave, Balkan Blue: Family and Military Memories, page 89
Cite this entry
APA

sharp end of one's tongue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharp%20end%20of%20one's%20tongue

MLA

“sharp end of one's tongue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharp%20end%20of%20one's%20tongue. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sharp end of one's tongue,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharp%20end%20of%20one's%20tongue.

Source: sharp end of one's tongue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.