Synonyms

call a spade a spade

Cultural

To speak directly and bluntly; to avoid euphemism: “The prosecutor said, ‘Let's call a spade a spade. You didn't borrow the money, you stole it.’”

call a spade a spade Idioms

Speak frankly and bluntly, be explicit, as in You can always trust Mary to call a spade a spade. This term comes from a Greek saying, call a bowl a bowl, that was mistranslated into Latin by Erasmus and came into English in the 1500s. Also see tell it like it is.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Call a spade a spade here..have a little honesty.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2016

Call a spade a spade: Everybody’s focused on sustainable and inclusive growth.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2015

"Call a spade a spade, Robin," she advised.

From The Hidden Places by Sinclair, Bertrand W.

Call a spade a spade, not a well known oblong instrument of manual husbandry.

From The Style Book of The Detroit News by News, The Detroit

"Call a spade a spade and have done with it!"

From The Double Life Of Mr. Alfred Burton by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023