To softly use words so no one is offended, not to be completely honest
Etymology:
- This idiom was first used in late 16th by William Shakespeare in some of his plays. It is still unclear about the exact origin as it might have been used before Shakespeare. In original terms, the word “mince” means to carefully or softly choose words. But with the time the term is now used to indicate that the person is not completely honest.
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Submitted on February 25, 2019
Additional definitions for 'Mince Words':
| mince words | To restrain oneself in a conversation by withholding some comments or using euphemisms. |
Translation
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Blatt vor den Mund
picadillo de palabras
từ nhỏ
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Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to Mince Words
sticks and stones may break my bones, b…have wordsput words in someone's mouthman of few wordsTake the Words Right Out of Your Mouthcan't put the words back into one&…put words in somebody's mouthsticks and stones will break my bones, …Eat Your Wordsbeyond wordswords fail someonewar of wordsmark my wordswords of one syllable
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"Mince Words." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/mince-words_44859>.
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