mince words
To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in…To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.
Near-synonym: pull punches
For quotations using this term, see Citations:mince words.
sich kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen
говори́ть обиняка́миgovorítʹ obinjakámi, говори́ть без обиняко́вgovorítʹ bez obinjakóv
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From mince (“to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)”, transitive figurative verFrom mince (“to say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly)”, transitive figurative verb) + words. First attested in the mid-1500s.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
minces words, mincing words, minced words, minced words| Base form | mince words · to mince words |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | minces words |
| Present participle | mincing words |
| Past simple | minced words |
| Past participle | minced words |
irregular
Synonyms
2 synonymsWord family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.