ES Spanish · neutral · 5 of 6
no tener pelos en la lengua
blunt, often admiring or warning
Word by word
not · have · hairs · on · the · tongue
Idiomatic sense
To say what one thinks without padding it. A person who no tiene pelos en la lengua will name the late arrival, the bad idea, the awkward fact. The hairs are what would have muffled the tongue, and they are absent.
It describes a habit or a stance. It is not a promise that the speaker is right.
Examples
No tiene pelos en la lengua.
She doesn't mince words.
Yo no tengo pelos en la lengua: llegó tarde.
I'll say it straight. He was late.
Equivalents
Marks say how far the other phrase travels with this one. How to read them.
- near
not to mince words
Same habit of leaving the softening out. English works by the cook's knife. Spanish works by a smooth tongue.
- near
Both refuse euphemism. The French phrase can be a decision about one fact. The Spanish phrase is more often a trait of the person.
- near
kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen
To take no leaf in front of the mouth. A very close figure of unmuffled speech.
- partial
A frank conversation one opens. Less a public habit, more a private clearing of the air.
Notes
The first example's English uses "she" because the Spanish verb does not say. In a real conversation the gender is already known. The phrase itself does not mark it.
Sources
- Standard idiom. Wording is original.