to be on the tip of your tongue
– C1 (advanced) –
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In North American English, this idiom typically means:
DEFINITION
to not remember something right now, even though you normally know it (e.g. a word, phrase, idea, etc.)
EXAMPLES
"I was having such a brain fart! The word was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t remember it."
"I love playing... Hmm, I can't remember the name of the sport. It's such a simple word... Why can I not remember it? I know it, but it's on the tip of my tongue... Ah! Soccer! That's it! I love playing soccer!"
“Don’t you hate it when something is on the tip of your tongue? It can be so embarrassing sometimes when you can’t remember a word that you know that you know. Oh, well! We’re all human; we all make mistakes.”
Do you ever find something on the tip of your tongue? What was the last thing that was on the tip of your tongue? Practice using this idiom by letting me know in the comments below.