call a spade a shovel (English, verb)
expansion: call a spade a shovel (third-person singular simple present calls a spade a shovel, present participle calling a spade a shovel, simple past and past participle called a spade a shovel)
Senses:
glosses: To put it more than bluntly; to express a truth forcefully; to use exaggerated language to make a statement of fact.
Forms:
form: calls a spade a shovel
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: calling a spade a shovel
tags: participle
present
form: called a spade a shovel
tags: participle
past
form: called a spade a shovel
tags: past