unearths some literary gems.
From The D.A. Takes a Chance, by Erle Stanley Gardner:
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"His tongue is hinged in the middle and clacks at both ends."
[Apparently, a tongue with a metaphorical hinge more often than not implies a two-faced nature; but some use it to mean simply somebody who talks too much. ESG clearly means it in the latter sense, and he takes it to the next level by making both ends of the tongue free to move! Incidentally, I note that this runs the hinge left to right, rather than front to back, as the "talking out both sides of the mouth" hinge would run.]
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"Fit as a fiddle. And why do you suppose people say that? What's fit about a fiddle? When you take one out of its case you have to putter around with it, tinkering and tuning. Why should people think it's fit?"
