Meaning of mince words | Babel Free

Verb CEFR B2

/ˌmɪns ˈwɜːdz/

Definitions

To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.

idiomatic, intransitive

Deutsch sich kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen

Español no tener pelos en la lengua

Suomi kierrellä

Français ne pas mâcher ses mots

Italiano pesare le parole usare mezzi termini

Nederlands zich geen blad voor de mond nemen zonder omhaal van woorden

Polski owijać w bawełnę

Português não ter papas na língua

Русский говори́ть без обиняко́в говори́ть обиняка́ми

Svenska skräda orden

“Near-synonym: pull punches”

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:mince words.”

Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.