lick one's lips
Show eager anticipation
To lick one's lips is to pass the tongue over the lips, typically in anticipation of food or something desirable.
The gesture suggests eager expectation or relish: He licked his lips at the thought of the bonus.
The phrase often carries a predatory or greedy undertone—someone licking their lips isn't just hungry, they're savoring what's coming.
- salivaMouth's digestive secretion
- hungerNeed for nourishment
- tongueOral muscle for taste
- wetSaturated with liquid
- moistenAdd slight wetness
craving · taste · desire · temptation · idiom · mouth · seduction · savor · mouthwatering · drool over · anticipation · lip-smacking · longing · smacking · yearning · eagerness · metaphor · expression
lick one's lipspoker face
Intentionally expressionless look
stone-faced · expressionless · play it cool · blank stare · inscrutable
lick one's lipsturn up one's nose
Express haughty rejection
gag · recoil · grimace · shudder · make a face