A slip of the tongue is a small mistake in speech: saying the wrong word or name by accident. For example, calling a colleague by someone else's name or saying Tuesday instead of Thursday. People often use the phrase to excuse themselves: Sorry, slip of the tongue.
When would you say a slip of the tongue?
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it was (just) a slip of the tongue; a slip of the tongue + when/that…; sorry, slip of the tongue
- I called my new teacher 'Mum' in front of the whole class. It was just a slip of the tongue!
- The minister said 'increase' instead of 'decrease' and later called it a slip of the tongue.
- Sorry, I said Tuesday, but I meant Thursday. Slip of the tongue.
What changed
First versionSorry, I called you Anna. It was a slip of tongue.
RevisionSorry, I called you Anna. It was a slip of the tongue.
The fixed phrase needs the: a slip of the tongue. Without it, slip of tongue sounds clipped, and it's one of the most common mistakes with this expression. The article before tongue can seem unnecessary, which is why it gets lost.
If a slip seems to reveal someone's secret thoughts, it's called a Freudian slip: Calling your boss 'Dad' was a real Freudian slip. A mistake in writing is a slip of the pen. The expression is neutral and works in both speech and writing.
Your turn
I said 'Monday' when I meant 'Sunday'. It was just a slip of the ___.
Show the answer
tongue — The days got mixed up in speech, so it was the tongue, the organ of speech, that slipped. Language means a language system such as English or French and has nothing to do with a slip like this.
Think of a time when you or someone else said the wrong word. Say what they meant to say and what came out instead.
At the meeting I wanted to say 'our clients', but I said 'our children', a slip of the tongue that made everyone laugh.
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