IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishcall a spade a spade
Meaning: To speak plainly or call something by its right name, even if it is unpleasant.
Example: “Let's call a spade a spade: this plan is a disaster.”
Other ways to say this
Spanish: No tener pelos en la lengua Literally: To have no hairs on the tongue
French: Appeler un chat un chat Literally: To call a cat a cat
Norwegian: Å snakke rett fra leveren Literally: To speak straight from the liver
Italian: Non avere peli sulla lingua Literally: To have no hairs on your tongue
Portuguese: nu e cru Literally: Naked and raw
Polish: bez owijania w bawełnę Literally: Without wrapping in cotton- French: Ne pas y aller par quatre chemins Literally: Not to go by four roads
- French: Ne pas mâcher ses mots Literally: Not to chew one's words
- English: not mince one's words
Origin: Plutarch records a Greek saying about calling a fig a fig and a trough a trough. When Erasmus translated it into Latin in the 16th century, he confused the Greek word for trough or bowl with one for spade, and the English version, recorded from 1542, kept his spade.
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- clean slate A new beginning, with past mistakes or debts forgiven.
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