mince words
To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“She does not mince words when she gives feedback.”
“The manager did not mince words about the project, explaining exactly why the current strategy was a complete failure.”
“If you want to save our friendship, please do not mince words and tell me exactly what I did to upset you.”
“Although he usually preferred to remain diplomatic, the critic did not mince words regarding the director's latest film, calling it a tedious and uninspired mess.”
First attested in the mid-1500s, the expression is a compound of the transitive figurative verb mince, meaning to utter something vaguely rather than frankly, and the plural noun words. The construction treats direct speech as a large, unpalatable portion that must be chopped into smaller, more manageable pieces before it can be presented to an audience. Narrowing the language served to soften the delivery, ensuring that a potentially offensive truth arrived in a form less likely to cause indigestion.
- 01
bad word
A vulgar word.
- 02
breathe a word
To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).
- 03
dicky
[Cockney slang]word
- 04
dirty word
The name of a topic that a person prefers not to hear or discuss.
- 05
empty words
Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content but is actually vapid.
- 06
from the word go
From the very beginning; from the outset; immediately upon starting.
- 07
get the word out
To make some information more widely known.
- 08
hang on every word
To be completely attentive to what another person is saying.
Last updated August 10, 2026