Word.ws English Dictionary

calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon

calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon is the present participle and gerund of call a spade a spade.

Meaning of call a spade a spade

Verb

call a spade a spade (third-person singular simple present calls a spade a spade, present participle calling a spade a spade, simple past and past participle called a spade a spade)

  1. (idiomatic) To put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are.
    • Maybe God just calls a spade a spade, when the president talks to God.2005, Bright Eyes, When the President Talks to God

Questions about calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon

What is calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon the present participle and gerund of?
Calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon is the present participle and gerund of call a spade a spade.

Words near calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon in the dictionary

  1. calling a lid
  2. calling a shovel a shovel
  3. calling a spade a shovel
  4. calling a spade a spade
  5. calling a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel
  6. calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon
  7. calling ahead
  8. calling an audible
  9. calling around
  10. calling away
  11. calling back

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon (page history and authors); call a spade a spade (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “calling a spade a spade, not a big spoon.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/calling_a_spade_a_spade%2C_not_a_big_spoon. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.