not to put too fine a point on it
idiom
—used in an ironic way to introduce a very strong and usually critical statement
Not to put too fine a point on it, (but) his suggestions have been worthless.
Examples of not to put too fine a point on it in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the gambling business, the folks who generate the profits for the house are — not to put too fine a point on it — the losers.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
The problem, not to put too fine a point on it, is that The Brutalist forsakes tonal subtlety for a full plunge into Southern or Mid-Atlantic Gothic, with the Van Burens becoming almost literally vampiric.
—Anthony Paletta, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Feb. 2025
Otherwise—and not to put too fine a point on it—he’d be dead.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Given that reciting bits of Holy Grail is practically an NCAA sport, a stage adaptation would seem to be headed straight for the danger zone — the place where a play becomes, not to put too fine a point on it, a dead parrot.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2023
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
The problem, not to put too fine a point on it, is that The Brutalist forsakes tonal subtlety for a full plunge into Southern or Mid-Atlantic Gothic, with the Van Burens becoming almost literally vampiric.
—Anthony Paletta, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Feb. 2025
Otherwise—and not to put too fine a point on it—he’d be dead.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Given that reciting bits of Holy Grail is practically an NCAA sport, a stage adaptation would seem to be headed straight for the danger zone — the place where a play becomes, not to put too fine a point on it, a dead parrot.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Not to put too fine a point on it.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20to%20put%20too%20fine%20a%20point%20on%20it. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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