Example
“Ask Priya for an honest assessment; she always tells it like it is.”
Recorded usage
These full forms were measured in COCA in 2016–2017. Counts apply to the quoted form, not every use of this idiom; overlapping forms are not added together.
Grouped source variants; editorially classified here as an idiom. Usage counts are separate from CEFR difficulty.
Dictionary details
Component words
Tags
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
kiss and tell
CEFR B2to reveal private or intimate information that was shared in confidence
cry wolf
CEFR B1to give false warnings so often that a real warning may later be ignored
name names
CEFR B1to identify specific people, especially those linked to wrongdoing or secrecy
take someone's word for it
CEFR B1to believe what someone says without asking for evidence
the whole story
CEFR B1all the facts about a situation, including ones not yet known
break cover
CEFR B2to stop concealing one's true position or intentions and make them known
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.