The tyranny of the tongue

[mirafrida]

I was curious how people think about "tongue" when writing sex scenes. I like to have sexual play-by-play in my stories, rather than just pan to the fireplace. And I find there are decent synonyms, or sometimes metaphors, for just about every word I might want to use. But tongue seems to give me fits. It comes up a lot in kissing and oral sex, and just doesn't seem to have any good stand-in.

Of course, one offloads as much of the work as possible to licking and lapping and tasting. But even so, I always seem to end up with tongue this, and tongue that, and tongue the other.

Am I alone in this, or does anyone else experience it? Any tricks you've developed? Is it simply ok to have tongue appear three times in a paragraph once in a while, and best not to worry about it too much?

 

[Bubo_bubo]

I'd say do not worry about it. Before you know it you might otherwise be in "mouthslug" or "buccal beef slab" terrain.

 

[NotWise]

I don't have any good metaphors for "tongue," but I don't think I repeat the word all that much. The reader knows what organs are in play once a scene is set, so it doesn't seem necessary to repeat it.

 

[SimonDoom]

I am not sure what you are asking. You might want to clarify.

I use tongue as a noun. E.g., "Her tongue entered his mouth." I seldom if ever use tongue as a verb. E.g., "She tongued his mouth." I use verbs such as those you suggested.

General suggestion: if you find that you're having a problem with repetition, then shift away from too much physical action description. "Part A went into Part B." That sort of thing. Introduce dialogue, or describe the emotions or motives of the characters in the scene.

 

[TadOverdon]

You know, that's weird...I worry a lot about repeating words like "cock," but not tongue. I wonder why?

 

[TxRad]

Lingual Digit.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

Slurp muscle

 

[ElectricBlue]

You know, that's weird...I worry a lot about repeating words like "cock," but not tongue. I wonder why?

Not getting enough?

 

[Bubo_bubo]

Sometimes you can bypass mentioning the tongue: "They whispered sweet nothings into each other's mouths."

 

[Rustyoznail]

I try and limit particular words like tongue to once per paragraph. I struggle with this, and because there really aren't any synonyms I do what Bubo_bubo suggests.

 

[NotWise]

Sometimes you can bypass mentioning the tongue: "They whispered sweet nothings into each other's mouths."

"He locked his lips over hers and explored her mouth. She was first soft and willing, and then she was eager."

 

[MrPixel]

I don't let it bother me a'tall. Tongue is as tongue does.

Indirect reference is fun to play with a little, tho'. From a future chapter: "Sandra presses her face to mine. We start with a gentle buss or two, and then she goes for a full open-mouth tonsil examination. ..."

 

[Duleigh]

Other than "Tonsil massager" you're stuck with "tongue" or "proboscis"

 

[GrushaVashnadze]

For people like me who adore porno-style "fuck-talk", where the art is in the calibration and timing of repetition, rather than the avoidance of it, I say feel free to repeat "tongue", or "cock", or any other anatomical term, as much as you like. I find that there are as many people who love to hear words like "fuck" lovingly and musically repeated as there are those who hate it. (See Fuck-Talk for a tongue(!)-in-cheek example.) So I dare say there are bound to be "tongue" lovers on Lit who will rejoice in a superfluity of "tongues". Go for it.

 

[Duleigh]

For people like me who adore porno-style "fuck-talk", where the art is in the calibration and timing of repetition, rather than the avoidance of it, I say feel free to repeat "tongue", or "cock", or any other anatomical term, as much as you like. I find that there are as many people who love to hear words like "fuck" lovingly and musically repeated as there are those who hate it. (See Fuck-Talk for a tongue(!)-in-cheek example.) So I dare say there are bound to be "tongue" lovers on Lit who will rejoice in a superfluity of "tongues". Go for it.

I took the bait and read Fuck-Talk and I will never type the same way again... not without deep, intense, expensive therapy...

 

[GrushaVashnadze]

I took the bait and read Fuck-Talk and I will never type the same way again... not without deep, intense, expensive therapy...

So glad you enjoyed it, Duleigh. Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for the lovely comment you left.
Grusha.

 

[Voboy]

Spitpump? Flavor slug?

 

[Bubo_bubo]

cum mop

 

[GrushaVashnadze]

"wipegape"?

(an exocentric-verb-noun-compound-agent-noun, of course...)