tongue hangs out, one's

tongue hangs out, one's idiom
One is eagerly anticipating something, as in Their tongues were hanging out at the thought of seeing the movie stars in person. This expression alludes to an animal's tongue hanging out of its mouth in anticipation of food. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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