The flap beneath a shoe’s laces or other fastening, covering the top of the foot.
The tongue covers and cushions the top of the foot beneath the fastening. Its construction varies with the shoe. Shoemakers Academy describes examples ranging from a single layer of leather to thick polyurethane foam, with some tongues held in place by elastic straps or a tab threaded by the laces. Crockett & Jones describes an Oxford tongue as a separate leather piece stitched beneath the quarters, vamp and facing. Its monk straps instead have a vamp and tongue cut as one piece. The same component name therefore covers both separate and integrated upper constructions.
In job listings
This is everyday vocabulary in footwear development and repair, and rarely needs saying in a vacancy. In a fitting, the tongue can be the reason a lace-up feels different across the top of the foot. Search local jobs for “footwear”.
