cluck one's tongue

English

Verb

cluck one's tongue (third-person singular simple present clucks one's tongue, present participle clucking one's tongue, simple past and past participle clucked one's tongue)

1. To click one's tongue.
   • 1906, John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga‎^[1], Volume I, Chapter:

     The spring had got into his blood, too; he felt the need for letting steam escape, and clucked his tongue, flourishing his whip, wheeling his horses […]

   • 1926, Nevil Shute, chapter 1, in Marazan‎^[2]:

     I went out and had a chat with the foreman of the men; he clucked his tongue when he heard what had happened, and opined that I was lucky to have come off so lightly with nobody there to help me out of the machine.

   • 1958, Raymond F. Jones, chapter 9, in The Year When Stardust Fell‎^[3], Philadelphia: John C. Winston:

     “To think a man like Mr. Tucker would do something like that!”" She went out, clucking her tongue in exaggerated dismay.

   • 2009, Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna‎^[4], New York: HarperCollins, Part 3, p. 236:

     “But newspapers have a duty to truth,” Van said.
     Lev clucked his tongue. “They tell the truth only as the exception. […] ”