to mince words
16
7.1
- phrasal verb
- /mɪns wɜrdz/
- Informal
:
andarse con rodeos
- Look, there's no point in mincing words.
Chocolate printing is, I can't mince words here, really hard.
- Chocolate printing is, I can't mince words here, really hard.
- I've met your leaders there and they don't mince their words.
- CCP Co founder Chen Du Xu didn't mince his words.
Examples
-
So, I'm not going to mince words.
-
You don't mince words around here, do you?
-
Gentlemen, let us not mince words.
-
Oh, but to hell with him, if I might just not mince words for once.
Fiction book (2000) -
The other side does not mince words, either.
Academic text (1999) -
The charge sister is not one to mince words.
Fiction book (1996) -
My gentle giant of a father did not mince words when necessary.
Blog text (18) -
I won't mince words with you.
-
You don't mince words, ma'am.
-
After hearing the bad news, she didn't mince words when expressing her disappointment.
Synonyms
1
8.8
To refer to something using a mild or indirect word instead of a harsh one
Antonyms
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal sense of 'mince' (to cut finely) maps metaphorically onto modifying or softening 'words', so there is a recognizable link between the parts. However, the specific pragmatic sense 'speak indirectly or soften bluntness' is a figurative extension that a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings may not fully predict without exposure, so the item is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Mince words comes from the image of mince meaning to chop food into tiny pieces and words being treated the same way. Imagine cutting your words into small, soft bits so the words sound gentler, and that's why mince words means 'to speak in a careful or indirect way, often to avoid offending'.