make no bones about

make no bones about

1. (idiomatic) To say, do, or indicate something clearly and without hesitation, even if it may be unpleasant.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, ch. 10:

     The squire made no bones about the matter; he despised the captain.

   • 1900, Andrew Lang, "The Ogre," in The Grey Fairy Book:

     [M]aking no bones about the matter, he told Antonio what a fool he had been.

   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, ch. 12:

     I was prepared to be persuasive, touching, and hortatory, admonitory and expostulating, if need be vituperative even, indignant and sarcastic; but what the devil does a mentor do when the sinner makes no bones about confessing his sin?

   • 2005 March 13, Denny Lee, "Looking for Mr. Right Now," New York Times (retrieved 19 Nov 2016):

     Vince, a natty 23-year-old financial analyst from Hoboken, made no bones about his agenda. "I love it here, it's so whorish," he said.