to put it mildly
Used to say that a statement is a big understatement of how serious or extreme something really is.
Example: The exam was difficult, to put it mildly.
C213 words · Proficient
Conversation Idioms vocabulary — C2
Conversation idioms for advanced discussion and debate, with phrases like beg the question, a moot point and preaching to the choir for precise, formal talk.
13 questions
Words in this set
13beg the question
To raise an obvious further point that needs addressing, or — in careful use — to wrongly assume the very point being argued.
Example:
If the plan is so simple, it begs the question why nobody tried it sooner.
a moot point
A subject that is no longer worth debating because it has no practical effect.
Example:
Now that the shop has closed, price is a moot point.
talk in circles
To discuss something repeatedly without reaching a clear conclusion.
Example:
The committee talked in circles for an hour without deciding anything.
lost in translation
Describes meaning or humour that disappears when something is said in another language or context.
Example:
The joke was funny in French, but it got lost in translation.
a freudian slip
An accidental error in speech thought to reveal a hidden, true thought.
Example:
Calling his ex-girlfriend's name was an embarrassing Freudian slip.
preaching to the choir
Trying to persuade people who already agree with you completely.
Example:
Telling environmentalists to recycle is preaching to the choir.
damning with faint praise
Criticizing someone or something indirectly by complimenting it only weakly.
Example:
Calling the film 'watchable' is damning with faint praise.
an open secret
Something that is supposed to be hidden but that most people actually already know.
Example:
Their engagement was an open secret in the office.
in a manner of speaking
Used to say that something is true in a general or approximate sense, not exactly literally.
Example:
We're colleagues, in a manner of speaking — we've never actually met.
put words in someone's mouth
To claim someone said something they did not say.
Example:
Do not put words in someone's mouth and then argue with them.
in the same breath
Saying two contradictory things immediately after each other.
Example:
He praised the team and blamed them in the same breath.
cut to the quick
To deeply hurt someone's feelings, usually through harsh criticism.
Example:
His comment about her work cut her to the quick.
