-) Meaning in Chat or Text Messages Online

The internet slang "Tongue in cheek" refers to an expression used to convey that someone is joking or being sarcastic. It usually means that the speaker is saying something with a mocking or insincere tone, but actually means the opposite.

For instance, imagine a friend says to you, "I'm really looking forward to spending my Saturday cleaning the house." You know that they don't really mean it literally but rather, their statement is "tongue in cheek" because no one looks forward to cleaning their house.

In online conversations, people use this slang to indicate they are joking or being sarcastic, especially when their words could be taken the wrong way without context. For instance, suppose someone comments on a social media post saying "Great work. Can't wait for your next masterpiece," and they add the tongue in cheek emoji – (-). It would mean that they are saying this sarcastically because the work doesn't quite qualify as a masterpiece. The emoji is a visual representation of the phrase and sets the tone of the message.