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To put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
A mistaken translation of Ancient Greek τὰ σῦκα σῦκα, τὴν σκάφην δὲ σκάφην ὀνομάσων (tà sûka sûka, tḕn skáphēn dè skáphēn onomásōn, “calling figs figs, and a trough a trough”). The word σκάφη (skáphē, “trough”) was mistranslated by the Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus as σκαφείον (skapheíon, “digging tool”).
Across languages
Translations
37 source translations are retained for this English entry.
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Chinese Mandarin:
實話實說 /实话实说
(shíhuàshíshuō)
— to speak the truth
-
Chinese Mandarin:
直言不諱 /直言不讳
(zhíyánbùhuì)
— to speak the truth
-
Czech:
nazvat věc pravým jménem
— to speak the truth
-
Czech:
nazývat věci pravými jmény
— to speak the truth
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Danish:
kalde en spade for en spade
— to speak the truth
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Dutch:
zeggen zoals het is
— to speak the truth
-
Dutch:
de dingen bij hun naam noemen
— to speak the truth
-
Dutch:
man en paard noemen
— to speak the truth
-
Dutch:
een kat een kat noemen
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
puhua asioista niiden oikeilla nimillä
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
kutsua asioita niiden oikeilla nimillä
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
mainitakseen asian oikealla nimellään
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
olla suorasanainen
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
olla suorasukainen
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
olla suorapuheinen
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
suomeksi sanottuna
— to speak the truth
-
Finnish:
totta puhuen
— to speak the truth
-
French:
appeler un chat un chat
— to speak the truth
-
German:
das Kind beim Namen nennen
— to speak the truth
-
German:
die Dinge beim Namen nennen
— to speak the truth
-
German:
kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen
— to speak the truth
-
German:
es auf gut Deutsch sagen
— to speak the truth
-
Hungarian:
nevén nevezi a gyereket
— to speak the truth
-
Irish:
ná baintear an t-ainm den bhairín, den bhlonag
— to speak the truth
-
Italian:
dire pane al pane e vino al vino
— to speak the truth
-
Italian:
parla come mangi
— to speak the truth
-
Norwegian Bokmål:
kalle en spade for en spade
— to speak the truth
-
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kalle ein spade for ein spade
— to speak the truth
-
Polish:
nazywać rzeczy po imieniu
— to speak the truth
-
Portuguese:
pão, pão, queijo, queijo
— to speak the truth
-
Scottish Gaelic:
dìreach ann an cainnt
— to speak the truth
-
Serbo-Croatian:
reći popu pop, a bobu bob
— to speak the truth
-
Slovak:
nazývať veci pravými menami
— to speak the truth
-
Spanish:
llamar al pan, pan, y al vino, vino
— to speak the truth
-
Spanish:
llamar las cosas por su nombre
— to speak the truth
-
Swedish:
en spade är en spade
— to speak the truth
-
Vietnamese:
gọi đích danh
— to speak the truth
