call a spade a spade
English
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call a spade a spade
Where it comes from
A mistaken translation of Ancient Greek τὰ σῦκα σῦκα, τὴν σκάφην δὲ σκάφην ὀνομάσων (tà sûka sûka, tḕn skáphēn dè skáphēn onomásōn, “calling figs figs, and a trough a trough”). The word σκάφη (skáphē, “trough”) was mistranslated by the Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus as σκαφείον (skapheíon, “digging tool”).
verb calls a spade a spade · calling a spade a spade · called a spade a spade · call a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel · call a shovel a shovel
- To put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are. Maybe God just calls a spade a spade, when the president talks to God.
Translations
Every language
verb to speak the truth
| Español | llamar al pan, pan, y al vino, vino, llamar las cosas por su nombre |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 實話實說 /实话实说 shíhuàshíshuō, 直言不諱 /直言不讳 zhíyánbùhuì |
| Português | pão, pão, queijo, queijo |
| Français | appeler un chat un chat |
| Deutsch | das Kind beim Namen nennen, die Dinge beim Namen nennen, kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen, es auf gut Deutsch sagen |
| Italiano | dire pane al pane e vino al vino, parla come mangi |
| Tiếng Việt | gọi đích danh |
Talk about this word "call a spade a spade." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/call%20a%20spade%20a%20spade. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. call a spade a spade. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/call%20a%20spade%20a%20spade "call a spade a spade." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/call%20a%20spade%20a%20spade.Cite this
@misc{call_a_spade_a_spade_2026,
title = {call a spade a spade},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/call%20a%20spade%20a%20spade},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
