Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

say the quiet part loud

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.26 in modern English

Syllables: say the qui-et -part loud
IPA

37

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

3

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To willingly express a sentiment that is normally considered embarrassing, disreputable or controversial to hold; to reveal an ulterior motive.

Example Sentences

"“Just what are you trying to say here, Miss Parker?” “That you’re a jingoistic idiot.” Yeah, I said the quiet part loud. I blame the pain meds. But there‘s no way I was letting this metal-heavy moron lecture me about my duty to my country, without giving me the chance to make up my own mind."
"Donald Trump is not subtle. While normal political language functions through implication and indirection, Mr. Trump luxuriates in saying the quiet part loud. But in doing so, Mr. Trump exposes what drives the politics of the movement he commands."
"“When you’re a star, they let you do it,” the president, Epstein’s sometime associate, infamously bragged, once again saying, with stunning efficiency, the quiet part loud."

Etymology

Corpus searches seem to confirm that this phrase was absent from widespread usage until after the mid-1990s, when the cartoon character Krusty the Clown used a similar phrase in the episode "A Star Is Burns" of the American animated TV series The Simpsons, saying, "I said the quiet part loud and the loud part quiet."

Inflected Forms

says the quiet part loud (present, singular) saying the quiet part loud (participle, present) said the quiet part loud (participle, past) said the quiet part loud (past) say the quiet part out loud (alternative)

Phrases

mask off on main

Frequently Paired Words

mask off on main

Questions

What does say the quiet part loud mean?: To willingly express a sentiment that is normally considered embarrassing, disreputable or controversial to hold; to reveal an ulterior motive.
Where does say the quiet part loud come from?: Corpus searches seem to confirm that this phrase was absent from widespread usage until after the mid-1990s, when the cartoon character Krusty the Clown used a similar phrase in the episode "A Star Is Burns" of the American animated TV series The Simpsons, saying, "I said the quiet part loud and the loud part quiet."

How to pronounce say the quiet part loud

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