Etymology:
- This idiom was first used in late 16th by William Shakespeare in some of his plays. It is still unclear about the exact origin as it might have been used before Shakespeare. In original terms, the word “mince” means to carefully or softly choose words. But with the time the term is now used to indicate that the person is not completely honest.
- 280 Views
Submitted on February 25, 2019
Additional definitions for 'Mince Words':
| mince words | To restrain oneself in a conversation by withholding some comments or using euphemisms. |
Translation
Find a translation for the Mince Words phrase in other languages:
Blatt vor den Mund
picadillo de palabras
từ nhỏ
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to Mince Words
put words in someone's mouthyour actions speak so loudly that your …sticks and stones may break my bones, b…at a loss for wordseat your wordsin other wordsFamous Last WordsEat Your Wordswords of one syllablewoman of few wordsTake the Words Right Out of Your Mouthfine words butter no parsnipsput words in somebody's mouthwar of words
How to pronounce this phrase?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this Mince Words definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Mince Words." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/mince-words_44859>.
Powered by CITE.ME
Discuss this Mince Words phrase with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In