Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

warts and all

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.01 in modern English

Syllables: wart-s and all
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.

Informal

adv

In a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Biographer Jones, for all his hero worship, belongs to the warts-and-all school, and notes some strange quirks in Freud's character."
"More than a quarter of a century after the fraught events that followed the privatisation of the railway, Corbett has provided a warts and all analysis of what led to the spate of rail disasters in the aftermath of the break-up of British Rail, and (ultimately) to the demise of the company."
"The new crop of reality shows brings us that much closer to the contestants, warts and all."
""We are very open and publish everything we investigate in detailed reports - warts and all," adds French."

Etymology

In 1653, an artist, Samuel Cooper, was asked to paint Oliver Cromwell’s portrait. Cromwell preferred the portrait to be shown with “pimples, warts and everything” (i.e., to include any defects and imperfections). Over time, this phrase has come to be shortened to “warts and all”.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

warts-and-all (alternative)

Phrases

bare all bare one's soul gory details leave nothing to the imagination tell-all

Frequently Paired Words

bare all bare one's soul gory details leave nothing to the imagination tell-all

Questions

What does warts and all mean?: Of or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.
Where does warts and all come from?: In 1653, an artist, Samuel Cooper, was asked to paint Oliver Cromwell’s portrait. Cromwell preferred the portrait to be shown with “pimples, warts and everything” (i.e., to include any defects and imperfections). Over time, this phrase has come to be shortened to “warts and all”.

How to pronounce warts and all

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