tongue-in-cheek

Meanings

Adjective

• Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.

Adverb

• With contempt.
• With irony.

Origin

• This phrase alludes to the facial expression created by putting one's tongue in one's cheek. The term first appeared in print in 1828,
• but isn't entirely clear that it was used with the modern, rather than a literal, sense. A later citation from Richard Barham is unambiguous.