straight from the shoulder
1
7.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
sin rodeos
- The manager addressed the team straight from the shoulder about the company's future plans.
Examples
-
"I told her straight from the shoulder what the police chief had said.
Fiction book (1998) -
Direct, straight from the shoulder.
-
Straight from the shoulder, open, above board?
-
She spoke straight from the shoulder when discussing her feelings about the project.
-
During the meeting, he answered all questions straight from the shoulder without any hesitation.
Synonyms
392
1.6
In an honest and direct way
182
1.3
In a truthful way that shows you mean what you say
88
1.4
In a clear honest way, saying what you think
40
4.6
In a direct way that is not polite
21
7.0
To say something plainly without hiding feelings
14
4.1
Two people talk directly and honestly to each other
9
5.0
In a very direct way without trying to hide anything
7
6.7
In a direct and honest way without hiding anything
5
3.9
In a clear, honest way without hiding anything
3
7.2
In a plain, direct way that does not make bad news seem softer
Direct and honest in speech that does not hide what you think
In a direct, sometimes abrupt way that shows little patience
In a direct and bold way
Antonyms
How Direct
40
4.6
- Informal
1
7.4
5
3.9
28
4.1
4
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
straight + from + the + shoulder
The element 'straight' clearly signals directness and 'from' marks source, so part of the MWE's meaning (being direct) is hinted by the constituents. However, using 'shoulder' to mean candidness is a metaphorical extension not predictable from the literal body-part sense, and this figurative source element may not be obvious to a B1 learner, so the phrase is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The idiom straight from the shoulder may come from boxing, where a punch thrown straight from the shoulder goes directly and clearly with no extra movement. That's why the phrase now means speaking in a 'direct' and 'honest' way.