in no uncertain terms
Very explicitly and emphatically. He told me in no uncertain terms that if it happens again, I'll be expelled. There is no doubt. The contract states, in no uncertain terms, what must happen in cases like this. My grandmother was never one to hide her true feelings. If she thought you had messed up, she would tell you in no uncertain terms.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in no uncertain terms
Cliché in very specific and direct language. I was so mad. I told her in no uncertain terms to leave and never come back. I told him in no uncertain terms to stop calling me.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in no uncertain terms
Emphatically, definitely so. For example,
Jane told them in no uncertain terms that she wanted no part of their practical joke. The double negative in this idiom serves for emphasis. [Mid-1900s] Also see
in so many words.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in no uncertain terms
If someone tells a person something in no uncertain terms, they say it strongly and clearly so that there is no doubt about what they mean. She told him in no uncertain terms to go away.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
in no uncertain terms
clearly and forcefully. 1991 Kaye Gibbons A Cure for Dreams My mother got the doctor back out to our house and told him in no uncertain terms to do what he was paid to do.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in ˌno unˌcertain ˈterms
clearly and forcefully: I told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of his behaviour.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in no uncertain terms
Emphatically, very clearly. This double negative appears to have become very popular about the middle of the twentieth century. Lawrence Durrell used it in Balthazar (1958): “I told Abdul so in no uncertain terms.” A slightly slangier synonym is loud and clear.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer