What is Tongue-in-cheek?

Tongue-in-cheek is a term that refers to a style of humour in which things are said only half seriously, or in a subtly mocking way.

Origin of the term

This phrase clearly alludes to the facial expression created by putting one's tongue in one's cheek. This induces a wink which has long been an indication that what is being said is to be taken with a "pinch of salt". It may have been used to suppress laughter. 'Tongue in cheek' is the antithesis of the later phrase - 'with a straight face'.

The term first appeared in print in 'The Fair Maid of Perth', by novelist Sir Walter Scott, 1828:

"The fellow who gave this all-hail thrust his tongue in his cheek to some scapegraces like himself."

It isn't entirely clear that Scott was referring to the ironic use of the expression. A later citation from Richard Barham's The Ingoldsby Legends, 1845 is unambiguous though:

He fell to admiring his friend's English watch.

He examined the face,

And the back of the case,

And the young Lady's portrait there, done on enamel, he

Saw by the likeness was one of the family;

Cried 'Superbe! Magnifique!' (With his tongue in his cheek)

Then he open'd the case, just to take a peep in it, and

Seized the occasion to pop back the minute hand.^[1]

Tongue-in-cheek humour in fiction

Tongue-in-cheek humour in fiction often takes the form of gentle parodies. Such stories seem to abide by the conventions of an established serious genre, while in reality, they gently poke fun at some aspects of that genre. A tongue-in-cheek work still relies on these conventions and is not the same as a farce. Examples of films that are made in a tongue-in-cheek way are Scream, A Mid-Summer Night's Sex Comedy, Shaun of the Dead, Demolition Man, True Lies, or Hot Fuzz. Note that these films are still faithful to their genre (slasher, musical, zombie, action, spy, and police-thriller respectively) and are not out-and-out parodies such as Airplane! or Scary Movie. Tongue-in-cheek humor does not typically break the fourth wall.

References

1. ^ The Phrase Finder. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.