straight-from-the-shoulder

American  

[streyt-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

Last week Major General Francis H. Griswold, Third Air Force commander, dropped in by plane at nine of the 16 major U.S. air bases to give his men a straight-from-the-shoulder talk.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From Time Magazine Archive

In his straight-from-the-shoulder critique of U. S. shipping last year, Joseph Patrick Kennedy, then commission chairman, recommended Government-run training schools for seamen as one sure way of insuring a skilled personnel.

From Time Magazine Archive

For years Lawrenceville boys have hung on Erd Harris' sessions at the piano�as well as his straight-from-the-shoulder homilies in chapel.

From Time Magazine Archive

I don't know that I can offer you a real row, my idea was to hand you a few straight-from-the-shoulder remarks and then a couple of ultimatums.

From The Monk of Hambleton by Livingston, Armstrong