The Mistranslation of "Spade"
The idiom "call a spade a spade" essentially means speaking bluntly and truthfully, without using euphemisms or sugar-coating.
The idiom has equivalents in various languages, each with its own unique cultural and linguistic twist:
French: In French, the equivalent phrase is "appeler un chat un chat." This literally translates to "calling a cat a cat." It carries the same meaning as the English idiom, urging people to be direct and straightforward in their communication.
German: The German equivalent is "Das Kind beim Namen nennen," which translates to "calling the child by its name." Similarly, it emphasizes the importance of being honest and forthright in speech.
Spanish: In Spanish, the idiom "llamar al pan, pan; y al vino, vino" is used. This translates to "calling bread, bread; and wine, wine." It encourages clarity and avoiding ambiguity in language.
The idiom was was first recorded in a play by Aristophanes, a Greek playwright renowned for his wit and satire. In his comedy "The Clouds" (423 BCE), Aristophanes used a phrase that can be translated as "to call a fig a fig and a trough a trough" (συκῆν συκῆν καὶ σκάφην σκάφην λέγειν - "sykḗn sykḗn kaì skáphēn skáphēn legein").
Now, the original Greek version used the word "skaphe" (σκάφη), which translates to "trough" or "basin." However it also could mean something more obscene.
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