To Put It Bluntly . . .

To Put It Bluntly . . . To Put It Bluntly . . . To Put It Bluntly . . . By Maeve Maddox Adam Rubock asks for a discussion of the difference between saying something bluntly, and blatantly saying something. The word blunt came into the language around 1200 with the meaning â€Å"dull, obtuse.† At that time a â€Å"blunt person† would have been a stupid person. In the 1580s blunt took on the meaning â€Å"abrupt of speech or manner.† This is closer to the way we use the word now. The third definition of blunt given by the OED is â€Å"Rudely; without ceremony or delicacy; abruptly, curtly.† When we say that so-and-so is â€Å"blunt,† we mean that the person puts thoughts into words without regard to the sensibilities of listeners or readers. In speaking of an object, such as a â€Å"blunt sword† or a â€Å"blunt instrument,† the sense is still â€Å"dull† or â€Å"not sharp.† blatant The OED gives these definitions of blatant: Of persons or their words: Noisy; offensively or vulgarly clamorous; bellowing. Clamorous, making itself heard. In recent usage; obtrusive to the eye (rather than to the ear as in orig. senses); glaringly or defiantly conspicuous; palpably prominent or obvious. According the Etymology Online Dictionary, the word blatant was coined by Sir Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queen: to describe a thousand-tongued monster representing slander; probably suggested by L. blatire to babble. In the 1650s blatant came to mean â€Å"noisy in an offensive and vulgar way.† The current sense of â€Å"obvious, glaringly conspicuous† is from 1889. Both words are popular on the web. Blatant seems to be associated with the act of lying in particular. A search for â€Å"blatant lie† gets 136,000 hits. â€Å"Blatant liar† gets 83,400 hits. The cliche â€Å"to put it bluntly† gets 4,860,000 hits. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical WordsPeople versus PersonsHyphenation in Compound Nouns