Do you know someone who always speaks their mind, even if it means being brutally honest? In Italian, you can describe this kind of straight talker as “not having hairs on their tongue”: non avere peli sulla lingua. This idiom can be translated in a few ways including:
- to not mince words
- to not beat around the bush
- to speak one’s mind
Non avere peli sulla lingua
To not mince words / beat around the bush
Let me give you an example. Imagine I step out with messy hair and bleary eyes from a sleepless night with my young son. (Yes, it happens a lot!) Someone who is “senza peli sulla lingua” might candidly remark, “You look terrible!” instead of opting for a more indirect approach like, “Did you have a late night?“
Giovanna non ha peli sulla lingua. Dice sempre quello che pensa.
Giovanna doesn’t mince words. She always says what she thinks.
The origin of this idiom stems from the concept that if hairs were present on the tongue, they would impede smooth and clear speech. Those without a “hairy tongue” can communicate openly, although not necessarily with finesse!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
