Definify.com

Definition 2024

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)

(idiomatic) To speak the truth; to say things as they really are.
- 2005, Bright Eyes, When the President Talks to God:
  Maybe God just calls a spade a spade, when the president talks to God.

Some take offence at this expression, because one sense of spade refers to a black person. However, this expression long predates that use of spade, and is etymologically unrelated: this expression refers to the digging instrument, the racial designation refers to the card suit.

to speak the truth

Armenian: խոսքը սար ու ձոր չգցել ‎(xoskʿə sar u jor čʿgcʿel), սար ու ձոր չընկնել ‎(sar u jor čʿənknel)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 實話實說 (zh), 实话实说 (zh) ‎(shíhuàshíshuō), 直言不諱 (zh), 直言不讳 (zh) ‎(zhíyánbùhuì)
Czech: nazvat věc pravým jménem
Dutch: zeggen zoals het is, de dingen bij hun naam noemen, een kat een kat noemen
Finnish: kutsua asioita niiden oikeilla nimillä, puhua asioista niiden oikeilla nimillä
French: appeler un chat un chat (fr) (to call a cat a cat)
German: das Kind beim Namen nennen (de)
Greek: λέω τα σύκα σύκα και τη σκάφη σκάφη (el) ‎(léo ta sýka sýka kai ti skáfi skáfi)
Hungarian: nevén nevezi a gyereket

Irish: ná baintear an t-ainm den bhairín, den bhlonag
Italian: ^{(please verify)}dire pane al pane e vino al vino
Japanese: ありのまま言う ‎(ari-no mama iu)
Norwegian:

Bokmål: kalle en spade for en spade

Nynorsk: kalle ein spade for ein spade
Polish: nazywać rzeczy po imieniu (pl)
Portuguese: pão, pão, queijo, queijo (pt)
Russian: называ́ть ве́щи свои́ми имена́ми ‎(nazyvátʹ véšči svoími imenámi) (call things by their own names)
Spanish: llamar al pan, pan y al vino, vino
Swedish: en spade är en spade (Guidetti)

"Call a spade a spade" in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds, 2004.