My question is about the expression "身もふたもないこと".
I know that "身もふたもない" means blunt or point-blank, but is there any additional connotation such as "stupid" or "silly"?
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the person is upset because his partner said something(not really bad thing) about his project– newguyMay 31, 2021 at 17:12
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This link helps you. 85begin.com/columns/too-outspoken– Yuuichi TamMay 31, 2021 at 17:51
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1身もふたもない never means "silly" or "stupid", period. I can't write a more useful answer because I don't know how you came up with such an idea. This seems like a typical XY question to me. Please describe your real problem rather than asking about something based only on your assumption.– narutoJun 1, 2021 at 10:38
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Example:身もふたもないこと言わないでおくれよ。 the person is upset because his partner said something(not really bad thing) about his project thanks– newguyJun 1, 2021 at 15:16
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1@newguy It doesn't help. It's just "Don't say something ____", but many adjectives can go there as long as they have some negative meanings.– narutoJun 2, 2021 at 7:22
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1 Answer
"Blunt" is one of the possible translations of 身も蓋もない, but it is more nuanced than that. This is a set phrase that carries the meaning like "it's indeed correct, but if you say that, it spoils the meaning of this discussion", "it's too outspoken and it makes it hard to continue this conversation", "true, but don't go there now", etc. It never simply means "silly" or "stupid".
Examples of 身も蓋もない responses:
- 「どうやったらアイドルになれますか？」「10歳若くないと無理です、諦めてください。」
- 「どうすればこの商品はもっと魅力的になるだろう？」「有名人が宣伝すればどんな商品でも売れますよ。」
- 「彼のような努力家がどうして合格できないんだろう。」「そもそも才能がないからでしょ。」
- 「彼女が宝くじを当てた秘訣を知りたい。」「単純に運が良かったんでしょ。」
As you can see in the second and fourth examples, a 身も蓋もない statement itself does not have to be about a bad thing. The important connotation is "Oh don't say that now (even if it's correct)".
