forked tongue

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

forked tongue (plural forked tongues)

1. The split tongue of a snake.
2. (idiomatic) The characteristic of deceptiveness; duplicity; untruthfulness.
   • 2008 March 10, Kavi Chongkittavorn, “OPINION: Regional Perspective”, in The Nation, Bangkok, Thailand, retrieved 26 March 2008:

     This man has a forked tongue and lacks credibility.

• speak with a forked tongue

• Janus-faced
• viperine