Tongue-in-cheek phrase appears in 1828 in "The Fair Maid of Perth" by Sir Walter Scott: It's not clear how Scott intended readers to understand the phrase. The more modern ironic sense appears in the 1842 poem "The Ingoldsby Legends" by the English clergyman Richard Barham, in which a Frenchman inspects a watch and cries: The ironic usage originates with the idea of suppressed mirth—biting one's tongue to prevent an outburst of laughter. Tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a mock serious manner. The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern
Cheek kissing Philippine cheek kiss is a cheek-to-cheek kiss, not a lips-to-cheek kiss. The cheek kiss is usually made once (right cheek to right cheek), either between two women, or between a woman and a man. Amongst the upper classes, it is a common greeting among adults who are friends, while for the rest of the population, however, the gesture is generally reserved for relatives. Filipinos who are introduced to each other for the first time do not cheek kiss unless they are related. In certain communities in Indonesia, notably the Manado or Minahasa people, kissing on the cheeks (twice) is normal