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Não ter papas na língua

Portuguese

Meaning

To not mince words / To be blunt

Example

Minha avó não tem papas na língua, fala tudo que pensa na cara de qualquer um.

My grandmother doesn't mince words, she says whatever she thinks to anyone's face.

Origin

To speak sem papas na língua is to speak with nothing softening the tongue. Papa (from Latin pappa) is the soft, mushy baby food or pap; a tongue coated in such mush would slur and muffle one's words, so having none means speaking plainly and bluntly.

Source: Priberam.