See mince words on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*mey-",
"4": "*werh₁-",
"id": "small"
},
"expansion": "",
"name": "root"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "mince",
"3": "words",
"t1": "(figurative) to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)"
},
"expansion": "mince (“(figurative) to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)”) + words",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From mince (“(figurative) to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)”) + words.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "minces words",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "mincing words",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "minced words",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "minced words",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "mince one's words",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "mince words (third-person singular simple present minces words, present participle mincing words, simple past and past participle minced words)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English negative polarity items",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Polish links with redundant wikilinks",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Icelandic translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Polish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Telugu translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Near-synonym: pull punches"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
21,
29
]
],
"ref": "[1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 93, column 1:",
"text": "I knovv no vvayes to mince it in loue, but directly to ſay, I loue you; […]",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
26,
32
],
[
37,
43
]
],
"ref": "1699, Joseph Wyeth, “Sect[ion] IX. Concerning Our Belief of the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ”, in Anguis Flagellatus: Or, A Switch for the Snake. Being an Answer to the Third and Last Edition of the Snake in the Grass. […], London: […] T[ace] Sowle, […], →OCLC, page 206:",
"text": "The Snake in like manner, minces the vvords of E. B. only quoting from p. 149. (of his VVorks) The very Chriſt of God is vvithin us; leaving out vvhat follovvs, VVe dare not deny him, and vve are members of his Body, and of his Fleſh, and of his Bone, as the Epheſians vvere, (Eph[esians] 5. 30.)",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
83,
91
]
],
"ref": "[1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], “Letter I. Miss Harriet Byron, to Miss Lucy Selby.”, in The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], volume II, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC, page 10:",
"text": "Miſs Gr[andison]. Shall I give it you in plain Engliſh? / Mr. Gr. You don't uſe to mince it.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
159,
164
],
[
168,
173
]
],
"ref": "1826, [Benjamin Disraeli], “The Receipt”, in Vivian Grey, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, book II, page 100:",
"text": "My Lord, I must speak out. […] No thinking man can for a moment suppose, that your Lordship's heart is very warm in the cause of a party, which—for I will not mince my words—has betrayed you.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
122,
133
]
],
"ref": "1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, “In which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen”, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 173:",
"text": "I ask you, William, could I suppose that the Emperor of Austria was a damned traitor—a traitor, and nothing more? I don't mince words—a double-faced infernal traitor and schemer, who meant to have his son-in-law back all along.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
83,
90
],
[
94,
99
]
],
"ref": "1919, Joseph Conrad, chapter I, in The Arrow of Gold: A Story between Two Notes, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, […], →OCLC, part V, page 225:",
"text": "She believed me implicitly, except when I was telling her the truth about herself, mincing no words, when she used to stand smilingly bashful as if I were overwhelming her with compliments.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
22,
33
]
],
"ref": "1920, Upton Sinclair, “§ 17”, in 100%: The Story of a Patriot, Pasadena, Calif.: […] [B]y the author, →OCLC, page 60:",
"text": "The detective did not mince words. \"It's plain that you're a boob,\" he said.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
107,
112
],
[
117,
122
]
],
"ref": "[1927], A[rthur] J[ames] Cook, The Nine Days, London: […] [F]or A. J. Cook by the Co-operative Printing Society […], →OCLC, pages 18–19:",
"text": "Every one of my Committee felt proud of the determined stand of our President [Herbert Smith], who did not mince his words, but spoke straight and to the point.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
52,
57
],
[
61,
66
]
],
"ref": "1922 October, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “Part II. A Game of Chess.”, in The Waste Land, 1st book edition, New York, N.Y.: Boni and Liveright, published December 1922, →OCLC, pages 22–23, lines 139–141:",
"text": "When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said— / I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, / Hurry up please its time",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
141,
152
]
],
"ref": "1962 August, “Let’s have Plain Speaking”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 73:",
"text": "We remember, too, those admirable reports issued to every passenger during the final stages of the Kent Coast electrification, which did not mince words about the disruption of normal working, but which often turned the situations into an instructive illustration of the complexity of modern railway working.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
119,
132
]
],
"ref": "1983, James C[hien] H[ung] Shen, “Rejoining the Government”, in Robert Myers, editor, The U.S. & Free China: How the U.S. Sold Out Its Ally, Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, →ISBN, page 28:",
"text": "They all sought the President's views on the world situation in general and the Asian situation in particular. Without mincing words he would comment on his favorite theme, namely, the insidious scheme of the international Communists to conquer the free world.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
170,
182
]
],
"ref": "2006, Mary Lindemann, “A Very Diplomatic Affair”, in Liaisons dangereuses: Sex, Law, and Diplomacy in the Age of Frederick the Great, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, part 1 (Events and Entanglements), page 119:",
"text": "He [Mattheu de Basquiat, baron de la Houze] maintained that the city possessed no legal jurisdiction over [Antoine Ventura de] Sanpelayo as Spanish consul. […] He hardly minced words.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
20,
31
]
],
"ref": "2022 July 27, Joseph Brennan, “Bridge Disasters that Spanned an Empire”, in Rail, number 962, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 58:",
"text": "The coroner did not mince words, in charging the jury with their duty: \"The bridge had been utterly neglected from the time that it was built and there had been no proper inspection of it …[…].\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
27,
32
],
[
37,
42
]
],
"ref": "2022 November 23, Joseph Los’e, “Dame Naida Glavish doesn’t mince words about Erebus Memorial”, in Shayne Currie, editor, The New Zealand Herald, Auckland: New Zealand Media and Entertainment, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-07:",
"text": "Dame Naida Glavish did not mince her words when she addressed the newly elected Waitematā Local Board yesterday about the location of the National Erebus Memorial. Before a packed meeting, the fiery Dame said she supports a National Erebus Memorial – but just not in [the] proposed site of the Parnell Gardens, as it means destroying a Pohutukawa that has longer standing than the Treaty of Waitangi.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc."
],
"id": "en-mince_words-en-verb-SUVnEcYY",
"links": [
[
"restrain",
"restrain"
],
[
"speaking",
"speak#Verb"
],
[
"withholding",
"withhold#Verb"
],
[
"comments",
"comment#Noun"
],
[
"using",
"use#Verb"
],
[
"euphemism",
"euphemism"
],
[
"in order to",
"in order to"
],
[
"polite",
"polite#Adjective"
],
[
"tactful",
"tactful"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, intransitive, chiefly in the negative) To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc."
],
"raw_tags": [
"in the negative"
],
"related": [
{
"word": "minced oath"
},
{
"word": "mince matters"
},
{
"word": "word-mincer"
},
{
"word": "make no bones about"
},
{
"word": "weigh one's words"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "mince matters"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"intransitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "zich geen blad voor de mond nemen"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"note": "not mincing words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "zonder omhaal van woorden"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "kierrellä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "ne pas mâcher ses mots"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "sich kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "tala tæpitungulaust"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "vera ómyrkur í máli"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "pesare le parole"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "usare mezzi termini"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "ikke ta bladet for munnen"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "owijać w bawełnę"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "não ter papas na língua"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "govorítʹ obinjakámi",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "говори́ть обиняка́ми"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"note": "not to mince words",
"roman": "govorítʹ bez obinjakóv",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "говори́ть без обиняко́в"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "no tener pelos en la lengua"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "skräda orden"
},
{
"code": "te",
"lang": "Telugu",
"roman": "nīḷḷu namulu",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "నీళ్ళు నములు"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/mɪns ˈwɜːdz/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/mɪns ˈwɜɹdz/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "En-au-mince words.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/28/En-au-mince_words.ogg/En-au-mince_words.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/En-au-mince_words.ogg"
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-mince words.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɜː(ɹ)dz"
}
],
"word": "mince words"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*mey-",
"4": "*werh₁-",
"id": "small"
},
"expansion": "",
"name": "root"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "mince",
"3": "words",
"t1": "(figurative) to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)"
},
"expansion": "mince (“(figurative) to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)”) + words",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From mince (“(figurative) to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)”) + words.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "minces words",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "mincing words",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "minced words",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "minced words",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "mince one's words",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "mince words (third-person singular simple present minces words, present participle mincing words, simple past and past participle minced words)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "minced oath"
},
{
"word": "mince matters"
},
{
"word": "word-mincer"
},
{
"word": "make no bones about"
},
{
"word": "weigh one's words"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English compound terms",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English idioms",
"English intransitive verbs",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English negative polarity items",
"English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
"English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (small)",
"English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *werh₁-",
"English terms with quotations",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Polish links with redundant wikilinks",
"Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)dz",
"Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)dz/2 syllables",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Icelandic translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Telugu translations"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Near-synonym: pull punches"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
21,
29
]
],
"ref": "[1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 93, column 1:",
"text": "I knovv no vvayes to mince it in loue, but directly to ſay, I loue you; […]",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
26,
32
],
[
37,
43
]
],
"ref": "1699, Joseph Wyeth, “Sect[ion] IX. Concerning Our Belief of the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ”, in Anguis Flagellatus: Or, A Switch for the Snake. Being an Answer to the Third and Last Edition of the Snake in the Grass. […], London: […] T[ace] Sowle, […], →OCLC, page 206:",
"text": "The Snake in like manner, minces the vvords of E. B. only quoting from p. 149. (of his VVorks) The very Chriſt of God is vvithin us; leaving out vvhat follovvs, VVe dare not deny him, and vve are members of his Body, and of his Fleſh, and of his Bone, as the Epheſians vvere, (Eph[esians] 5. 30.)",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
83,
91
]
],
"ref": "[1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], “Letter I. Miss Harriet Byron, to Miss Lucy Selby.”, in The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], volume II, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC, page 10:",
"text": "Miſs Gr[andison]. Shall I give it you in plain Engliſh? / Mr. Gr. You don't uſe to mince it.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
159,
164
],
[
168,
173
]
],
"ref": "1826, [Benjamin Disraeli], “The Receipt”, in Vivian Grey, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, book II, page 100:",
"text": "My Lord, I must speak out. […] No thinking man can for a moment suppose, that your Lordship's heart is very warm in the cause of a party, which—for I will not mince my words—has betrayed you.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
122,
133
]
],
"ref": "1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, “In which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen”, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 173:",
"text": "I ask you, William, could I suppose that the Emperor of Austria was a damned traitor—a traitor, and nothing more? I don't mince words—a double-faced infernal traitor and schemer, who meant to have his son-in-law back all along.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
83,
90
],
[
94,
99
]
],
"ref": "1919, Joseph Conrad, chapter I, in The Arrow of Gold: A Story between Two Notes, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, […], →OCLC, part V, page 225:",
"text": "She believed me implicitly, except when I was telling her the truth about herself, mincing no words, when she used to stand smilingly bashful as if I were overwhelming her with compliments.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
22,
33
]
],
"ref": "1920, Upton Sinclair, “§ 17”, in 100%: The Story of a Patriot, Pasadena, Calif.: […] [B]y the author, →OCLC, page 60:",
"text": "The detective did not mince words. \"It's plain that you're a boob,\" he said.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
107,
112
],
[
117,
122
]
],
"ref": "[1927], A[rthur] J[ames] Cook, The Nine Days, London: […] [F]or A. J. Cook by the Co-operative Printing Society […], →OCLC, pages 18–19:",
"text": "Every one of my Committee felt proud of the determined stand of our President [Herbert Smith], who did not mince his words, but spoke straight and to the point.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
52,
57
],
[
61,
66
]
],
"ref": "1922 October, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “Part II. A Game of Chess.”, in The Waste Land, 1st book edition, New York, N.Y.: Boni and Liveright, published December 1922, →OCLC, pages 22–23, lines 139–141:",
"text": "When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said— / I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, / Hurry up please its time",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
141,
152
]
],
"ref": "1962 August, “Let’s have Plain Speaking”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 73:",
"text": "We remember, too, those admirable reports issued to every passenger during the final stages of the Kent Coast electrification, which did not mince words about the disruption of normal working, but which often turned the situations into an instructive illustration of the complexity of modern railway working.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
119,
132
]
],
"ref": "1983, James C[hien] H[ung] Shen, “Rejoining the Government”, in Robert Myers, editor, The U.S. & Free China: How the U.S. Sold Out Its Ally, Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, →ISBN, page 28:",
"text": "They all sought the President's views on the world situation in general and the Asian situation in particular. Without mincing words he would comment on his favorite theme, namely, the insidious scheme of the international Communists to conquer the free world.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
170,
182
]
],
"ref": "2006, Mary Lindemann, “A Very Diplomatic Affair”, in Liaisons dangereuses: Sex, Law, and Diplomacy in the Age of Frederick the Great, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, part 1 (Events and Entanglements), page 119:",
"text": "He [Mattheu de Basquiat, baron de la Houze] maintained that the city possessed no legal jurisdiction over [Antoine Ventura de] Sanpelayo as Spanish consul. […] He hardly minced words.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
20,
31
]
],
"ref": "2022 July 27, Joseph Brennan, “Bridge Disasters that Spanned an Empire”, in Rail, number 962, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 58:",
"text": "The coroner did not mince words, in charging the jury with their duty: \"The bridge had been utterly neglected from the time that it was built and there had been no proper inspection of it …[…].\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
27,
32
],
[
37,
42
]
],
"ref": "2022 November 23, Joseph Los’e, “Dame Naida Glavish doesn’t mince words about Erebus Memorial”, in Shayne Currie, editor, The New Zealand Herald, Auckland: New Zealand Media and Entertainment, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-07:",
"text": "Dame Naida Glavish did not mince her words when she addressed the newly elected Waitematā Local Board yesterday about the location of the National Erebus Memorial. Before a packed meeting, the fiery Dame said she supports a National Erebus Memorial – but just not in [the] proposed site of the Parnell Gardens, as it means destroying a Pohutukawa that has longer standing than the Treaty of Waitangi.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc."
],
"links": [
[
"restrain",
"restrain"
],
[
"speaking",
"speak#Verb"
],
[
"withholding",
"withhold#Verb"
],
[
"comments",
"comment#Noun"
],
[
"using",
"use#Verb"
],
[
"euphemism",
"euphemism"
],
[
"in order to",
"in order to"
],
[
"polite",
"polite#Adjective"
],
[
"tactful",
"tactful"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, intransitive, chiefly in the negative) To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc."
],
"raw_tags": [
"in the negative"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "mince matters"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"intransitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/mɪns ˈwɜːdz/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/mɪns ˈwɜɹdz/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "En-au-mince words.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/28/En-au-mince_words.ogg/En-au-mince_words.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/En-au-mince_words.ogg"
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-mince words.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_%28NaomiAmethyst%29-mince_words.wav.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɜː(ɹ)dz"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "zich geen blad voor de mond nemen"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"note": "not mincing words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "zonder omhaal van woorden"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "kierrellä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "ne pas mâcher ses mots"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "sich kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "tala tæpitungulaust"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "vera ómyrkur í máli"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "pesare le parole"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "usare mezzi termini"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"note": "not to mince words",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "ikke ta bladet for munnen"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "owijać w bawełnę"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "não ter papas na língua"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "govorítʹ obinjakámi",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "говори́ть обиняка́ми"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"note": "not to mince words",
"roman": "govorítʹ bez obinjakóv",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "говори́ть без обиняко́в"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "no tener pelos en la lengua"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "skräda orden"
},
{
"code": "te",
"lang": "Telugu",
"roman": "nīḷḷu namulu",
"sense": "to restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.",
"word": "నీళ్ళు నములు"
}
],
"word": "mince words"
}
Download raw JSONL data for mince words meaning in All languages combined (14.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-05-29 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-20 using wiktextract (e937b02 and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.