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• straight-from-the-shoulder
  straight-from-the-shoulder

  adjective

  direct, honest, and forceful in expression; outspoken.
• straight from the shoulder
  straight from the shoulder

  In a direct, forthright manner, as in I'll tell you, straight from the shoulder, that you'll have to do better or they'll fire you. This expression comes from boxing, where it describes a blow delivered with full force. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

straight-from-the-shoulder

American  

[strayt-fruhm-thuh-shohl-der] / ˈstreɪt frəm ðəˈʃoʊl dər /

adjective

1. direct, honest, and forceful in expression; outspoken.

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straight from the shoulder Idioms  

1. In a direct, forthright manner, as in I'll tell you, straight from the shoulder, that you'll have to do better or they'll fire you. This expression comes from boxing, where it describes a blow delivered with full force. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

straight-from-the-shoulder straight from the shoulder

Miller has always been at his best on such field trips, speaking fluent, straight-from-the-shoulder Spanish and handling himself with tact and wit.

From Time Magazine Archive

A straight-from-the-shoulder performance of Mozart's last major instrumental work.

From Time Magazine Archive

A forceful, straight-from-the-shoulder pulpit speaker, he still likes to pose direct questions to his congregations.

From Time Magazine Archive

Federal Reserve Loard Chairman Thomas B. McCabe, a Pennsylvania banker and businessman before he was a Government official, this week gave them a straight-from-the-shoulder businessman's answer.

From Time Magazine Archive

The message was a straight-from-the-shoulder presentation of the life of Jesus Christ and the claims of God upon the lives of all men.

From The Fight for the Argonne Personal Experiences of a 'Y' Man by William Benjamin West

“The president speaks directly and candidly — straight from the shoulder, as he often says,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.

From Washington Post ● May 24, 2022

In the Manhattan editorial office of McClure's Magazine, one day in 1902, Samuel Sidney McClure gave his goateed managing editor a jolt straight from the shoulder.

From Time Magazine Archive

In politics, and in every kind of relationship, Dad believed in dealing straight from the shoulder whenever possible.

From Time Magazine Archive

To his fellow Americans he spoke straight from the shoulder.

From Time Magazine Archive

I have always hit straight from the shoulder, Hiram, and I'm facing this death business as I'd face any other proposition.

From The Doors of Death by Arthur B. Waltermire

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