| 单词 | to call a spade a shovel |
| 释义 | > as lemmasto call a spade a (bloody) shovel c. More forcefully, in colloquial phrase to call a spade a (bloody) shovel: to speak with great or unnecessary bluntness. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > plainness > use plain language [verb (intransitive)] to call a spade a spade1542 to call a pikestaff a pikestaff1591 to call a spade a (bloody) shovel1919 1919 W. S. Maugham Moon & Sixpence iii. 12 We did not think it hypocritical to draw over our vagaries the curtain of a decent silence. The spade was not invariably called a bloody shovel. 1945 N. Balchin Mine Own Executioner ii. 34 Sometimes..I get so fed up with all the mumbo-jumbo and abracadabra and making of holy mysteries about simple things that I like to call a spade a shovel. 1978 M. Cadogan & P. Craig Women & Children First ii. 48 As a literary starting-off point, the determination to call a spade a bloody shovel has imposed a fundamental limitation... Outspokenness..is simply not enough. < as lemmas |
| 随便看 |
英语词典包含1132095条英英释义在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。