forked tongues
Liars' symbolic appendages
Forked tongues refers to speech that is deliberately deceptive or duplicitous.
The image comes from snakes, whose split tongues became associated with treachery: He speaks with a forked tongue.
The phrase appears prominently in depictions of broken treaties with Native Americans, where officials would say one thing and mean another.
Someone with a forked tongue says different things to different people or makes promises they don't intend to keep.
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- white liesMinor benevolent deceptions
- bald-faced lieShameless, obvious untruth
- lieDeliberate falsehood
- Jacobson's organChemical-sensing nasal structure
deception · misleading · insincerity · double-dealing · duplicity · serpents · snakes · dishonesty · chemoreception · two-faced · two-faced liar · cunning · betrayal · falsehood · broken promises · hypocrisy · venomous snakes · ruse
forked tonguesstraight talk
Honest, direct communication
truthfulness · candor · sincerity · honesty · veracity
forked tonguesstraight talk
Honest, direct communication
plain speech · directness · bluntness · calling a spade a spade · clarity
forked tonguesintegrity
Moral soundness and consistency
true to one's word · honor · trustworthiness · good faith · reliability