二枚舌
Meanings
1
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
double-dealing; duplicity; speaking with a forked tongue
Idiomatic expression for saying contradictory things to different people, or being two-faced in speech. Often used with 使う or のよう.
He can't be trusted because he speaks with a forked tongue.
I'm fed up with that politician's double-dealing.
Usage patterns
- 二枚舌を使うto speak with a forked tongue; to tell contradictory stories to different people
He's untrustworthy because he tells different people contradictory things.
- 二枚舌を弄するto resort to duplicitous speech (formal/literary)
The politician was criticized for resorting to double-talk.
- 二枚舌のようだto be like double-dealing; to sound two-faced
That explanation sounds two-faced—it changes every time you hear it.