ADJ.
great, underground
VERB + TONGUE-IN-CHEEK
gave, meant, portrayed
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK + NOUN
explanation, fashion, lawgivers, letter, sendup, t, wasn
PREP.
in
adj
Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.
He gave a tongue-in-cheek explanation of why the sky was blue, offering a theory about some primordial discount on light blue paint.
It was in this era, too, that author and Scotland the Brave songwriter Cliff Hanley penned The Glasgow Underground, a tongue-in-cheek love letter to the Subway in song.
adv
With contempt.
With irony.
He portrayed them tongue-in-cheek as great lawgivers, as Solons.
He gave a tongue-in-cheek explanation of why the sky was blue, offering a theory about some primordial discount on light blue paint.
WiktionaryIt was in this era, too, that author and Scotland the Brave songwriter Cliff Hanley penned The Glasgow Underground, a tongue-in-cheek love letter to the Subway in song.
WiktionaryThe tongue-in-cheek sendup wasn’t far from Silicon Valley’s reality.
WiktionaryHe portrayed them tongue-in-cheek as great lawgivers, as Solons.
WiktionaryI use the word in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
Tatoeba · #12530676It's meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
Tatoeba · #12530678i Register
In some senses, tongue-in-cheek is marked as obsolete, idiomatic. Watch for register when choosing this word.