speak with a forked tongue

verb

To speak deceptively; to be duplicitous or untruthful.

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Meanings

verbspeak with a forked tongue (third-person singular simple present speaks with a forked tongue, present participle speaking with a forked tongue, simple past spoke with a forked tongue, past participle spoken with a forked tongue)

present singular third person speaks with a forked tongue · participle present speaking with a forked tongue · past spoke with a forked tongue · participle past spoken with a forked tongue

  1. idiomaticTo speak deceptively; to be duplicitous or untruthful.

    He's spoken with a forked tongue to reporters, and his explanations for launching a probe don't pass the plausibility and credibility tests.

    2008 March 26, “Let a real "probe" begin”, in Sandusky Register online, retrieved 26 Mar 2008

Origin

* Possibly from the split tongue of a snake.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch met twee monden spreken
  • met twee monden sprekenTranslations
Finnish puhua yhtä ja sitten toista
  • puhua yhtä ja sitten toistaTranslations
Polish oszukiwać, oszukać
  • oszukiwaćTranslations
  • oszukaćTranslations
Spanish hablar con lengua viperina
  • hablar con lengua viperinaTranslations
Swedish tala med kluven tunga
  • tala med kluven tungaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

speak with a forked tongue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/speak%20with%20a%20forked%20tongue

MLA

“speak with a forked tongue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/speak%20with%20a%20forked%20tongue. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “speak with a forked tongue,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/speak%20with%20a%20forked%20tongue.

Source: speak with a forked tongue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.