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Glite Dictionary
to make no bones about

to make no bones about

6 6.1
Say something openly and directly without hiding it
  • idiom
translation icon : no dudar en
  • Currier and Ives isn't for everyone, and we make no bones about it.
  • made no bones about the fact

Cabezia made no bones about appealing to Mussolini as head of a fascist state.

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Examples

  • The Republicans make no bones about it.

    Blog text (8)

  • I've made no bones about it.

    Air Collision (2012)

  • And now for your cash, and make no bones about it.

    Robin Hood (1991)

  • I make no bones about it.

    An Unmarried Woman (1978)

  • I make no bones about it, and you can take it or leave it.

    Blog text (34)

  • She is as Republican as her husband and makes no bones about it.

    Blog text (2)

  • Make no bones about it, with information, it is a two-way street.

    Blog text (29)

  • Now that it will not be repealed and will be the law of the land, they're making no bones about it.

    Blog text (1)

  • She adored Gabe and made no bones about showing it.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He makes no bones about his intentions to run for office.

Synonyms

to call a spade a spade
vsto make no bones about
  • Informal
6 6.0

To speak clearly and honestly about something even if it is unpleasant

focuses on open directness rather than insisting on harsh labels
to lay it on the line
vsto make no bones about
  • Informal
3 7.8

To speak honestly and directly, even if it may cause trouble

is open and direct even when no risk or high stakes exist
to mince no words
vsto make no bones about
  • Informal
1 7.7

Speak very directly without trying to be polite

is openly direct without aiming to shock or be blunt
to say the quiet part loud
vsto make no bones about
  • UK
1 9.1

To openly say something people usually keep secret

expresses things openly but not mainly to expose hidden intention

Antonyms

to evade
31 3.9

To avoid doing something you should do, for example a duty or a direct question

to sugarcoat
  • Informal
19 5.0

Make something unpleasant seem nicer than it is

How Direct

to make no bones about
6 6.1
to say
∞ 1.0
to mention
∞ 1.0
to suggest
∞ 2.1

Surface Forms

make no bones about infinitive
made no bones about past
made no bones about past participle
making no bones about present participle
makes no bones about third person singular

Morphology

make + no + bones + about

The phrase 'make no bones about' is an idiomatic construction where 'bones' has no literal relation to expressing something openly, so the overall meaning cannot be compositionally derived from 'make' + 'no' + 'bones' + 'about'. A B1 learner who knows the individual words would not reliably infer 'to say something openly/directly', making this expression non-transparent across languages and usage.

Etymology

Make no bones about may come from an old idea where the word bones meant 'hesitation' or 'complaint'. So to make no bones about something means you show no doubt or complaint and you say it plainly.