# say the quiet part loud

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/say-the-quiet-part-loud
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To willingly express a sentiment that is normally considered embarrassing or disreputable to hold; to reveal an ulterior motive.

## Examples

- He said the quiet part loud during the meeting.
- You say the quiet part loud when you admit you only want the prize money.
- The politician accidentally said the quiet part loud when he admitted he only cared about the campaign donations.
- The landlord said the quiet part loud when he told the tenants he would never fix the heater because he wanted them to move out.
- The director said the quiet part loud by explaining that the new diversity policy was actually just a way to avoid getting sued.
- By suggesting that the company should prioritize profits over employee safety, the manager said the quiet part loud, shocking everyone in the boardroom.

## Origin

Corpus searches seem to confirm that this phrase was absent from widespread usage until after the mid-1990s, when the cartoon character Krusty the Clown used a similar phrase in the episode "A Star Is Burns" of the American animated TV series The Simpsons, saying, "I said the quiet part loud and the loud part quiet."

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.