Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (27 page)
not give a hoot (
or
darn
or
damn)
to not care; be indifferent or unfeeling. The word
damn
is a swear word and considered offensive by some people. ♦
It’s clear that those land developers
don’t give a hoot
about preserving the beauty of the meadow.
♦
It’s sad that some old people in nursing homes never have visitors. Nobody seems
to give a damn about them.
[See
I don’t care, who cares, who gives a damn
and similar slang expressions in Chapter 9.]
Idioms That Express Honesty
Honesty can show itself in various ways. Honest people will
tell the truth
(not lie or hide the truth). They will
be true to their word
(always do what they say they will do). One can be honest and ethical in business and in every other aspect of life. This section includes idioms for all types of honesty and truthfulness.
Many idioms that have to do with honesty are synonyms; that is, different idioms have identical or nearly identical meanings. These idioms are presented below, followed by idioms that require longer definitions.
- Here are some idioms to describe an honest person:
- honest as the day is long
(adj)
♦
Mike would never lie to you.
He’s as
honest as the day is long. - an honest Joe
(usually said of men)
(n)
♦
My father was
an honest Joe;
he believed in being truthful and trustworthy.
- honest as the day is long
- If you are
true to your word
, that means you always do what you promise to do. Here are some other expressions that mean the same:- keep one’s word
♦
She promised not to tell anyone about my illness, but she didn’t
keep her word.
Now everyone knows
. - be as good as one’s word
♦
If Jane said she would drive you to the airport, she’ll do it. She’s
as good as her word. - a man of his word
(a woman of her word is rarely used) ♦
My dad said, “Be
a man of your word.
If you make an agreement, keep it!”
- keep one’s word
- Confessing the truth is another form of honesty. A confession can be for a mistake or wrongdoing, or even about a secret act of generosity. Here are some idioms commonly used for confessing:
- come clean
♦
I finally
came clean
to Laura and told her that I was the one who sent her the love letter. - ’fess up
(a slang version of confess) ♦
Come on,
’fess up.
You arranged this party for me, didn’t you?
- come clean
- To encourage or demand someone to confess or tell the truth, you might say one of the following, which are typically said as exclamations:
- Out with it!
- Let’s hear it!
- Out with it!
- Honesty is the best policy
is a popular saying meaning it’s always best to be honest and truthful. Speaking truthfully can mean to not lie, to speak frankly, or to express a universal or personal truth. Each of these meanings is expressed with one of the following idioms:- tell the truth
(to not lie)♦ Tell the truth!
How did the window get broken? - speak the truth
(to express a universal truth; say what is true in one’s heart)♦
You
spoke the truth
when you said that no one succeeds without the help of others.
- tell the truth
Honest to God
People often use expressions like the following to begin a statement of fact or a sentence that reveals their true feelings. These expressions mean the same as “In fact” or “Honestly”:
to tell (you) the truth
in all honesty
if the truth be known
honest to God
Here are some examples:
- To tell you the truth,
I don’t like the new logo. - In all honesty,
I think we need more time for this project. - If the truth be known,
she has always wanted to quit that job. - Honest to God,
these two children have more energy than a dozen ponies!
The expression
honest to God
is also used when trying to convince someone of the truth. In this context it is said as a vow of honesty to God. “
Honest to God,
I’m telling you the truth!”
Following are other idioms that mean to be frank and honest, and to not hide, distort, or avoid the truth:
straightforward
(adj)
be honest, without altering or avoiding the truth ♦
I’ll be
straightforward
with you about the demands of this job, so that you can decide if it’s what you want.
♦
I wish you had told me the whole truth. You weren’t very
straightforward
about it.
straight with someone
(adj)
be straightforward; be honest, not hiding or distorting the truth ♦
Be
straight with me.
Do you want to end this relationship?
♦
During the interview, he wasn’t
straight with us
about his job qualifications. Later, we discovered that he had lied.
straight up
(adv)
(slang) truthfully, honestly. Often said as a question, meaning “Really?” ♦
I told him
straight up
that he can’t afford a new car, but he doesn’t want to accept it.
♦
Jane: You got accepted to Stanford?
Straight up?
Rita:
Straight up.
Grammar Note:
The expression
straight up
typically appears right before the statement of truth in a sentence, but it can also appear at the beginning or the end of the sentence.
tell it like it is
to be frank and straightforward; to speak the truth, not hide the truth, no matter how unpleasant the truth may be. Sometimes said as
tell you like it is
. ♦
The management should
tell it like it is.
This company is in serious financial trouble.
♦
It’s a great class, but I warn you, it’s the hardest class the engineering program. Just
telling you like it is.
lay it on the line
to be straightforward about a problem or serious matter, no matter how unpleasant the truth may be; implies that what is being said is important or has serious implications ♦
Let me
lay it on the line.
If you don’t improve your grades, you’ll be suspended from this school.
♦
His doctor
laid it on the line:
“Quit drinking or you’ll die.”
level with someone
to be straightforward or frank about a problem or serious matter, no matter how unpleasant the truth may be; implies that in the past the truth has not always been told ♦
Let me
level with you:
I haven’t always been the best boyfriend.
♦
His bad-smelling breath is preventing him from getting a date. Should I
level with him
about it?
Above Board
and Related Idioms
The following expressions are most often used to describe openness and honesty in business dealings:
above board
completely open and honest; not at all secretive. Said most often of business transactions ♦
I like dealing with her company, everything is very
above board. ♦
I was suspicious about buying something on eBay, but it seems to be all
above board.
out in the open
open and honest representation of something; nothing hidden or secretive. Often said of business dealings and personal relationships. ♦
He wasn’t
out in the open
about the extra costs, so we voided the contract.
♦
Quarterly financial reports are designed to keep companies’ financial gains and losses
out in the open. ♦
Occasionally my wife and I have a big argument, but it always helps bring our frustrations
out in the open
where we can talk about them.
on the level
honest and ethical. Most often said of organizations, businesses, and their dealings and operations; truthful no matter how unpleasant the truth may be. ♦
This charity organization is definitely
on the level,
and their monies go directly to the recipients.
♦
I have to be
on the level
with you about the risks of this surgery.
on the up and up
legal and ethical ♦
Never buy things from a phone solicitor. Their business may not be
on the up and up. ♦
The investigation proved that his financial dealings were all
on the up and up.
pull no punches
to be honest, typically about unpleasant facts. Alludes to not hitting as hard as possible in a boxing match. ♦
I voted for her for senator, because she
pulls no punches.
You know exactly what she supports and stands for.
lay (
or
put) one’s cards on the table
to expose one’s true motives or intentions; to be completely open and honest, typically after a period of not being completely open. Alludes to revealing one’s cards in a game such as poker. ♦
I’m going to
lay my cards on the table.
I want to buy the cheapest car you sell.
♦
She finally
put all her cards on the table:
She admitted that she had been looking for a new job, and said that she would only stay with the company if she got a 15% raise.
Idioms That Express Dishonesty and Deception
A dishonest person is one who can’t be trusted or does not tell the truth. A person may be dishonest or deceptive in a number of ways: by lying, hiding or distorting the truth, cheating in business, love, or other areas of life. Here are some idioms to describe such a person:
a cheat
(n)
someone who cheats, usually in love ♦
Don’t get involved with her. Everyone knows she’s
a cheat.
a scammer
(n)
someone who cheats or tries to take advantage of people ♦
The guy is
a scammer.
He’s always looking for ways to cheat people out of their money.
a phony
(n)
someone who presents himself or herself falsely ♦
I’ve never done business with him. He seems like
a phony
to me.
Two-Timer
and Related Idioms
One type of dishonesty is duplicity (having two sides; being deceptive or hypocritical). The following expressions use
two
or
double
to refer to a dishonest person:
a two-timer
(n)
someone having two girlfriends or boyfriends at one time; dating someone while in a serious romantic relationship with someone else ♦
Justin is such
a two-timer!
He’s dating Julia but he’s already seriously involved with Katherine.
two-faced
(adj)
someone who says one thing, but does the opposite ♦
Bill is so
two-faced;
he tells me that he likes my house, but then he tells other people it’s ugly.
double-crosser
(n)
someone who cheats people, often used to refer to business dealings ♦
Judy proved to be a
double-crosser.
She was working for us but sharing information with another company.
double talker
(n)
speaks deceptively; speaks in a confusing way to hide the truth ♦
Many people feel that politicians are
double talkers.
[See also to
two-time
and to
double cross
earlier in this section.]
The following sentences illustrate another interesting way of expressing the idea that a person can’t be trusted because he or she talks deceptively or doesn’t tell the truth:
He talks from both sides of his mouth.
He talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Telling a Lie
and Related Idioms
Saying something that isn’t true is called
telling a lie.
Here are other idioms that mean to lie.
These idioms describe lying that is generally done to exaggerate or to avoid getting into trouble. The lies are usually not meant to injure anyone else.
fib
♦
He
fibbed
to his teacher about why his essay wasn’t finished.
stretch (
or
bend) the truth
♦
Sometimes she
stretches the truth
a little when she talks about the accomplishments of her children.
make something up
♦
He didn’t have a good excuse for missing work, so he
made up a story
about his car breaking down.
The following expressions have a very similar meaning to idioms such as
fib
and
stretch the truth
, but they are harsher and more critical:
feed (
or
hand) someone a line
♦
He was trying to
feed me a line
about why he was so late, but I didn’t believe him.
speak falsely
♦
If you
speak falsely
about him in public, he could sue you in court for slander.
lie through one’s teeth
♦
He was
lying through his teeth
about his education and background. In truth he never finished high school.
