warts and all

Idioms and Phrases

Including all blemishes, faults, and shortcomings, as in Rather unwisely, they decided to buy the house, warts and all . This expression supposedly alludes to Oliver Cromwell's instruction to portrait painter Sir Peter Lely to “remark all these roughnesses, pimples, warts, and everything as you see me, otherwise I will never pay a farthing for it.” [First half of 1600s]

Example Sentences

This is a loving portrait (albeit more warts-and-all than saccharine and sentimental).

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• blatantly
• brazenly
• candidly
• flagrantly
• forthrightly
• fully
• honestly
• plainly
• publicly
• readily
• simply
• unabashedly
• unashamedly
• willingly