make no bones about

Idioms  

1. Act or speak frankly about something, without hesitation or evasion. For example, Tom made no bones about wanting to be promoted, or Make no bones about it—she's very talented. Versions of this expression date back to the mid-1400s and the precise allusion is no longer known. Some believe it meant a boneless stew or soup that one could eat without hesitation; others relate it to dice, originally made from bones, that were thrown without hesitation or fuss.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make no bones about

Single-stock ETF managers make no bones about the risks, emphasizing that they aren’t meant for long-term investors but rather active traders.

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

"These are major problems that can’t be fixed overnight. I make no bones about that, and there’s no point pretending otherwise. Meaningful change is not easy to deliver."

From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2024

Curators Anne-Lise Desmas at the Getty and Emerson Bowyer at the Art Institute of Chicago, where the show was seen last fall, make no bones about articulating the sculptor’s very real travails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024

“I’m demanding and you know, I make no bones about it,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2022

I'm the son of a peasant, I am, and I make no bones about it.

From Woman on Her Own, False Gods and The Red Robe Three Plays By Brieux by Bernard Miall