to mince no words
1
7.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
hablar sin rodeos
- NAREB created literature that became the industry standard and minced no words in saying diversity was against NAREB's code of ethics.
Examples
-
The senator minced no words when he addressed the controversial bill in his speech.
-
As usual, my half-sister minces no words.
Fiction book (1999) -
His wife gave the entire episcopate a fine tongue-lashing, mincing no words, and got over the whole incident in a trice.
Fiction book (1999) -
He was mincing no words with Steven Hall as they took turns interrupting each other during a deposition last year.
Academic text (2011) -
Mahmud Badr, a Tamarod co-founder, minced no words in attacking Obama for condemning the June 30 revolution.
Academic text (2014) -
One line of the texts (n23) suggests the tone of the whole: "Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" The chosen doctrine minces no words: "Ministers and the people that have been under their care must meet one another before Christ's tribunal at the Day of Judgment."
Academic text (2003) -
In "An Affair of Outposts," he minces no words in attributing to Grant's "manifest incompetence" (174) the slaughter and near Union disaster that was Shiloh.
Fiction book (1998) -
After the meeting, she minced no words about her dissatisfaction with the project's progress.
-
During the debate, the candidate minced no words in criticizing his opponent's policies.
Synonyms
814
2.7
Say what really happened without hiding facts or lying
56
6.1
To speak honestly to someone about something important
40
6.2
Tell someone the truth about something difficult
7
3.4
Talk honestly without hiding facts or feelings
6
6.0
To speak clearly and honestly about something even if it is unpleasant
6
6.1
Say something openly and directly without hiding it
6
3.5
To speak directly about the main idea without extra details
3
7.8
To speak honestly and directly, even if it may cause trouble
Antonyms
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'mince' is used metaphorically here to mean 'soften or moderate', so the connection to speaking bluntly (i.e., not softening one's words) relies on a figurative extension that is not fully predictable from the literal cooking/physical meaning. The negation 'no' helps signal the intended bluntness, but because the key sense of 'mince' (to temper speech) is figurative and potentially unfamiliar to B1 learners, the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The idiom mince no words comes from the verb mince, which means 'to cut into tiny pieces', and the idea of chopping words small to make them sound softer. When someone minces no words, they refuse to cut their words and speak 'plainly and directly', so the phrase means 'to speak plainly and directly'.