Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

call a spade a spade

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.03 in modern English

Syllables
cal-l a s-pade a s-pade
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are.

Example Sentences

Etymology

A mistaken translation of Ancient Greek τὰ σῦκα σῦκα, τὴν σκάφην δὲ σκάφην ὀνομάσων (tà sûka sûka, tḕn skáphēn dè skáphēn onomásōn, “calling figs figs, and a trough a trough”). The word σκάφη (skáphē, “trough”) was mistranslated by the Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus as σκαφείον (skapheíon, “digging tool”).

Inflected Forms

calls a spade a spade (present, singular) calling a spade a spade (participle, present) called a spade a spade (participle, past) called a spade a spade (past) call a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel (alternative) call a shovel a shovel (alternative, rare) call a spade a spade, not a big spoon (alternative) call a spoon a “spoon” and a spade a “spade” (alternative, rare)

Frequently Paired Words

spadish call a spade a shovel call it as one sees it tell it like it is beat around the bush beat about the bush pull one's punches

Questions

What does call a spade a spade mean?
To put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are.
Where does call a spade a spade come from?
A mistaken translation of Ancient Greek τὰ σῦκα σῦκα, τὴν σκάφην δὲ σκάφην ὀνομάσων (tà sûka sûka, tḕn skáphēn dè skáphēn onomásōn, “calling figs figs, and a trough a trough”). The word σκάφη (skáphē, “trough”) was mistranslated by the Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus as σκαφείον (skapheíon, “digging tool”).

How to pronounce call a spade a spade

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