mince one's words

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English

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Verb

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mince one's words (third-person singular simple present minces one's words, present participle mincing one's words, simple past and past participle minced one's words)

  1. Alternative form of mince words
    • 1922, T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land:
      When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said— / I didn't 'mince my words, I said to her myself, ⁠/ Hurry up please its time
    • 1927, Arthur James Cook, The Nine Days:
      Every one of my Committee felt proud of the determined stand of our President, who did not mince his words, but spoke straight and to the point.
    • 2022 November 22, Joseph Los'e, “Dame Naida Glavish doesn’t mince words about Erebus Memorial”, in New Zealand Herald[1]:
      Dame Naida Glavish did not mince her words when she addressed the newly elected Waitematā Local Board yesterday about the location of the National Erebus Memorial.