saying the quiet part out loud
Blurting hidden motives
Saying the quiet part out loud means accidentally or deliberately voicing something usually kept private because it reveals an uncomfortable truth, hidden motive, or socially unacceptable view.
The phrase suggests a gap between public positions and private beliefs: When the senator called voters "rubes," he said the quiet part out loud.
Often used to call out hypocrisy or expose what everyone suspected but no one admitted.
- bluntnessFrank, unvarnished manner
- candorUnguarded truthfulness
- brutal honestyUnsparing directness in speech
- truth bombJarring honest declaration
- whistleblowingExposing hidden wrongdoing internally
impulsivity · foot in mouth · dog-whistle politics · moral courage · oversharing · tactlessness · tone deaf · read the room · transparency · honesty · faux pas · indiscretion · subtext · open secret · awkwardness · populism · Freudian slip · inside voice
saying the quiet part out loudkeeping mum
Staying deliberately silent
biting one's tongue · self-censorship · discretion · keeping quiet · keeping secrets
saying the quiet part out loudsugarcoating
Making unpleasant seem pleasant
hinting · wink and a nod · plausible deniability · sanitizing
saying, sayings, quieter, quietest, quietly, quietude, parted, partial, particle