1. straight from the shoulder 直截了当，一针见血

大约一百年前straight from the shoulder成为习惯用语，用来指直截了当、开诚布公的说话方式，而且这样说话是不顾虑是否会伤害对方感情的。例如：

Boy, Nancy is sure mad at me! I told her straight from the shoulder this man she wants to marry is no good and she’d be making a terrible mistake. Now she won’t even speak to me.

唉，Nancy一定生我的气了!我直截了当地对她说她想嫁的那人一无是处，她看错了人。现在，她连理都不理我了。

2. pull no punches 直言相告

有时拳击手会因为手骨受伤之类的原因不用力击拳，这就叫做pull the punches，但是通常拳击手在比赛时出拳一定会竭尽全力，那就是pull no punches。逐渐人们用pull no punches来比喻尽管忠言逆耳也毫无保留地说出实情。例如：

When I saw my brother Joe turning into an alcoholic, I pulled no punches -- I told him to think of his wife and kids, stop drinking and go out and find a job.

我看到我弟弟Joe成了个酒鬼，立刻毫不留情地正告他，要为妻子和孩子着想，让他立刻戒酒并出去找个工作。

3. lay it on the line 把话放到桌面上

Lay it on the line可能是这样，把一大笔赌注放在赌台上，孤注一掷，尽其所有地做最后较量，就叫做lay it on the line，现在也可以当作“最后通牒、摊派”的意思来用。例如：

I’m fed up with George -- he doesn’t do half as much work as the others. So I called him in and laid it on the line -- either he starts doing his work like anybody else or we fire him at the end of the month.

我可受够了George，他干的活还没旁人一半多。所以我叫他来跟他把话都说明白了，要不跟别人一样好好工作，要不就在月底走人。

4. let it all hang out 开诚布公，挑明

Hang是挂的意思，let it all hang out如果直译就是“把什么都挂出来。” 换句话说就是“把什么都挑明了。例如：

We agreed to forget our feelings and let it all hang out. Susan told me everything she didn’t like about me and I told her what annoyed me about her. You know, it really cleared the air for both of us.

我俩同意心平气和地把话都挑明了说。Susan说出了我所有那些让她看不顺眼的事情，而我也跟她讲了她会令我不快的做法。知道吗，这真的使我们之间的误会烟消云散了。