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The Idiom to Have Hair on Your Tongue

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Dennis in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, recalls that his Spanish-speaking mother used to speak frankly with him or rebuke him using the phrase “No tengo pelo en mi lengua,” meaning “I have no hair on my tongue.” The same idea appears in Italian, Welsh, Croatian, Serbian, and other languages. In French, the phrase that translates as “to have no hair on my tongue” means to not speak with a lisp. In Turkish it means “I’m tired of repeating myself.” This is part of a complete episode.

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