Feeling devilish

[BlackInk]

Reading this sentence,

Feeling particularly devilish, she checked her tongue for a split second before letting the words roll.

Do you think she feels devilish after doing the gesture?

Or do you think she does the gesture because she feels particularly devilish in that moment?

Could be both options correct at the same time?

 

[Rover_KE]

Context would be good. Where did you read this?

I think we first need to know what you think is meant by "...she checked her tongue...before letting the words roll."

Rover

 

[Plasticapple]

She doesn't really do any gesture - checking her tongue means she stays quiet for a moment, then says what she wants. I think she 'lets the words roll' because she's feeling devilish.

 

[BlackInk]

Sorry, I should have explained that she is flirting and the other person is waiting for an answer. Before answering, she check her tongue to make him wait a bit more.

And what I wanted to know is if she does that because she feels particularly devilish that night, or if she feels particularly devilish after making him wait for the answer.

 

[Plasticapple]

Ah, sorry, my interpretation was slightly wrong then. In that case she checks her tongue because she feels devilish. (She very probably continues to feel devilish afterwards, but I don't think that's specifically what the author's saying.)

 

[BlackInk]

Thanks!

That's exactly what I wanted to know

 

[Loob]

Just a PS: "she checked her tongue" sounds slightly unnatural to me - like the language of a particular type of historical romance.

Where did you find the sentence, BlackInk?

 

[BlackInk]

Just a PS: "she checked her tongue" sounds slightly unnatural to me - like the language of a particular type of historical romance.

Where did you find the sentence, BlackInk?

It is from a book edited around 2000. It is settled nowadays, nothing old neither historical.

Maybe the author wanted to cause that effect but I can tell you the book is up-to-date

 

[bibliolept]

Overall, I'm tempted to guess that it's poor writing/editing in terms of the construction of the sentence. Of course, the context could make it all amply clear.

 

[Loob]

I agree with biblio

Like Rover, I'd still like to know where you found this....

 

[Rover_KE]

'Checked her tongue' and 'letting the words roll' are both phrases I have never heard before.

Rover

 

[Starfrown]

I think we may take "check her tongue" as simply the writer's variant of "hold her tongue." If I were the author, I would probably write instead:

"She held/checked her tongue for a split second, but then, feeling particulary devilish, she let the words roll."

I don't think "let the words roll" is an established idiom, but I wouldn't have any problem with it.