call a spade a spade

call a spade a spade

Meaning

• this phrase means to say something the way it is
• to not dress the truth up and speak in a straight forward manner
• it is used when the description of something is given in an honest manner

Example Sentences

1. That dress made her look fat, let's call a spade a spade before she goes out wearing it and embarrasses herself.
2. He failed the exam twice. If you were to call a spade a spade then you would not push him to give it again.
3. Parents are often reluctant to see any faults in their children. It is always better to call a spade a spade rather than spoiling the children with this behaviour.

Origin

The phrase is said to have originated from the slang that was used for African-Americans, which is ‘spade'. This was used in a derogatory manner in the United States and was popular in the early 20^th century.

The first known publication of this term precisely is from John Trapp's work in 1647 where he claims that God's people would call a spade a spade and a niggard a niggard. The term niggard here does not necessarily refer to African-Americans but could be an indication of the misers at the time.