tell it like it is, to

To speak bluntly, directly, and truthfully, even if what is being said is undesirable to the listener. I always respect employees who are willing to tell it like it is, rather than trying to sugarcoat everything to save a little face. I tell it like it is, and that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

Inf. Speak frankly.; Tell the truth no matter who is criticized or how much it hurts. Come on man, tell it like it is! Well, I've got to tell it like it is.

Speak the truth, no matter how unpleasant. For example, We're obligated to tell it like it is to the stockholders. [Slang; second half of 1900s]

To tell the truth even though it is unpleasant. Linguistics professor Margaret G. Lee lists this among the verbal expressions borrowed from African-American English (American Speech, winter 1999). It undoubtedly gained currency as the title of a number-one rhythm and blues hit of 1967, and has become a standard and somewhat overused colloquialism. Jane Smiley played on it in Horse Heaven (2000): “He wasn’t a funny guy like Baffert, but they always said he ‘is peppery and straightforward,’ ‘pulls no punches,’ ‘tells it like it is.’” See also pull no punches; unvarnished truth.