Dictionary

pull punches en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Originally from boxing. First use appears c. the 1920s.

Meanings

1. To avoid using a high level of force when punching.
   • Traditionally on Okinawa (if 'traditionally' is the right word to use), protectors had been worn during sparring practise because the trainees believed that, to be effective, one should not train to pull punches. 2017, Mark D Bishop, Zen Odyssey, An Okinawan Karate & Martial Arts Journey, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 228:
2. (figuratively, in the negative) To act with reserve; especially, to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger.
   • Father Charles Owen Rice was not one to pull punches, particularly when it came to confronting what he viewed as hypocritical behavior among Catholics. 2010, Kenneth J. Heineman, Catholic New Deal: Religion and Reform in Depression Pittsburgh, Penn State Press, →ISBN, page 75:
   • I did not pull any punches when I told them my thoughts.
   • This arresting autobiographical novel pulls no punches; rather, it lands them on the reader as frequently as fists descend on its subject. 2017 February 1, Neil Bartlett, “The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis review – a childhood in hell”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2022:
   • Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham pulled no punches in March 20's Transport for the North board meeting in Leeds. He wants rid of Avanti West Coast. And he may yet get his way, although ministers in London are holding the line at the moment. 2024 April 3, Philip Haigh, “Discord over Avanti West Coast is part of a wider problem”, in RAIL, number 1006, page 52:
   • The key here is not to pull punches. Tell it to 'em straight. Don't point fingers. But don't avoid painful truths. 2005, Nick Morgan, Give Your Speech, Change the World: How To Move Your Audience to Action, Harvard Business Review Press, →ISBN, page 78:
   • A few weeks ago, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, released an open letter that pulled no punches. 2021 February 10, Thomas L. Friedman, “Cyberspace Plus Trump Almost Killed Our Democracy. Can Europe Save Us?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2021:
   • Near-synonym: mince words

Forms

Relateds

kid glove · go easy · no holds barred · go easy on

Synonyms

mince words · hold back

Translations (8)

bg ме́ря си ду́мите (to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger) · fi olla lyömättä kovaa (to avoid using all one's strength when punching) · hu kesztyűs kézzel bánik (to avoid using all one's strength when punching) · bg ме́ря си при́казките (to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger) · pl łagodzić uderzenie (to avoid using all one's strength when punching) · bg ме́ря си ези́ка (to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger) · fr retenir ses coups (to avoid using all one's strength when punching) · pl złagodzić uderzenie (to avoid using all one's strength when punching)