🎤 Telling It Like It Is: The Unvarnished Truth’s Greatest Hits 🎸
Telling it like it is, to - To tell the truth even though it is unpleasant. Linguistics professor Margaret G. Lee lists this among the verbal expressions borrowed from African-American English (American Speech, winter 1999). It undoubtedly gained currency as the title of a number-one rhythm and blues hit of 1967, and has become a standard and somewhat overused colloquialism. Jane Smiley played on it in Horse Heaven (2000): “He wasn’t a funny guy like Baffert, but they always said he ‘is peppery and straightforward,’ ‘pulls no punches,’ ‘tells it like it is.’”
Similar Expressions and Juicy Bits:
- Pull no punches – To be blunt or frank, often bluntly so.
- “When it came to grading papers, Professor Frank pulled no punches.”
- Unvarnished truth – The blunt, unrefined truth.
- “She prefers the unvarnished truth rather than comforting lies.”
- Give it to me straight, doc – Tell me the plain, honest truth.
- “No beating around the bush, give it to me straight, doc.”
Synonyms
- Speak candidly
- Be straight with someone
- Be forthright
- Be blunt
- Be open
Antonyms
- Beat around the bush
- Sugarcoat
- Hold back
- Prevaricate
Humorous Quotes:
- “My way of joking is, to tell the truth. It’s the funniest joke in the world.” —George Bernard Shaw
- “It’s easier to tell a story than to say the truth, but since the story is always falsified, the truth certainly is more interesting.” – Eva Green
Provocative Proverbs:
- “Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it.” - Author Unknown
- “The naked truth is always better than the best-dressed lie.” - Ann Landers
Recommended Reads:
- “Lies My Teacher Told Me” by James W. Loewen
- “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt
- “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty” by Dan Ariely
Must-Watch Movies:
- Liar Liar (1997) - Because sometimes honesty forces its hilarious way out!
- Thank You for Smoking (2005) - A delightful tour of a lobbyist who gets witty and candid about manipulations.
- The Invention of Lying (2009) - A comedy exploring a world where everyone tells the absolute truth, until one man learns to lie.
Songs for the Soul:
- Telling Like It Is by Aaron Neville (1967)
- True Colors by Cyndi Lauper (1986)
- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield (2004)
Thank you for unraveling the cheeky web that is ’telling it like it is’ with us! 🌟 May your path always be lit with the light of truth, no shading required. Get out there and tell it like it is - your honesty might just change the world!
Keep shining, Frank Candid
