pull punches

present singular third person pulls punches · participle present pulling punches · participle past pulled punches · past pulled punches · alternative pull one's punches

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. figurativelyTo act with reserve; especially, to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger.

   Near-synonym: mince words

   5 more examples

   I did not pull any punches when I told them my thoughts.

   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

   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

   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

   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

   Synonyms: hold back, mince words