Call a Spade a Spade
Meaning
To speak plainly and directly, even if it means being blunt or saying something potentially unpleasant.
Origin
The phrase traces its roots back to ancient Greece, where the historian Plutarch famously criticized those who "call figs, figs, and a kneading-trough, a kneading-trough"—a proverb championing plain speaking. This wise observation made its way into European scholarship. However, when the Dutch humanist Erasmus translated it into Latin in his influential 16th-century Adagia collection, a crucial error occurred: the Greek word "skaphe" (meaning a bowl or trough) was mistakenly rendered as a word closer to "spade." Despite the translation mix-up, the vivid imagery of calling a common digging tool by its simple name stuck, becoming a powerful idiom in English for honest, direct communication, even if it's uncomfortable.
Examples
- I appreciate how my boss always calls a spade a spade; it makes communication very clear.
- Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade and admit the project is failing.