Definition of honest in English:

honest

adjective ˈɒnɪstˈɑnəst

1Free of deceit; truthful and sincere.
I haven't been totally honest with you
Example sentencesExamples
- Harley shrugged, but then decided to give her his honest, sincere reply.
- As a Republican, I sincerely thank you for your honest, open, sincere and thoughtful dialogue.
- For a transaction of this magnitude to be successful, all parties involved must be honest, sincere and truthful to one another.
- Hornish also can rely on his father's experience and honest, straightforward opinions.
- It is becoming hard to find genuinely honest and readable accounts of football.
- As an independent organisation we offer the frank, robust and honest opinions of supporters.
- He encouraged a free press and honest debate in Parliament and welcomed nationwide participation in the political process.
- Len tilted his head and looked at me, looking sincere and honest.
- I could trot out the usual arguments about how free and honest debate ultimately makes a party stronger, but I'm not sure I believe them any more.
- We would like to thank all the students who gave us honest and sincere information on a broad range of issues in their lives.
- Pedro Almodóvar said recently that he considers himself more honest and sincere and clear in his movies than he is in real life.
- They both are very direct men, they both are very honest and sincere men and they both are men who don't mince their words.
- But one feels that the portrayal is honest and sincere (as Pasolini's were, for that matter).
- Answers are rarely forthcoming that can be said to be totally honest, sincere, and clearly unambiguous.
- This book contains an emotionally riveting, devastatingly honest, and morally compelling answer.
- Even unusually honest journalists are not free of faults.
- Remember, your compliments must be honest, sincere and genuine.
- In general, focus group discussions consisted of honest, open and frank opinions of what the students thought about the class.
- He appeared so sincere, so honest, yet I couldn't hold any sympathy for him.
- Unfortunately these two characters are unable to take it any further, they can't be intimate or truthful or completely honest and open about their lives.
- In his dealings with parents he was always approachable, sincere and honest.
Synonyms
truthful, sincere, candid, frank, direct, open, forthright, straight, straightforward, genuine, blunt, plain-spoken, plain-speaking, matter-of-fact, outspoken, as straight as a die, straight from the shoulder
informal upfront
archaic free-spoken
objective, impartial, unbiased, balanced, unprejudiced, disinterested, even-handed, fair, just, equitable
1. 1.1 Morally correct or virtuous.
  I did the only right and honest thing
  Example sentencesExamples
  However, if the person has shown himself to be reliable, trustworthy, and honest, you can be far more confident that he will keep his word.
  Paddy was a peaceful, decent, law-abiding and honest citizen.
  I believe that only a truly even-handed approach can lead to an honest, morally convincing, and effective human rights policy.
  There is nothing to be feared from honest, free, two-way trade.
  The successful applicants must be experienced, honest, hard working, efficient and enthusiastic.
  What is forgotten in most of the talk about litter on our streets and indiscriminate dumping is that it is the law-abiding, honest and upright members of the community that have to pay to have it cleaned up.
  References attached to the form described him as ‘reliable, honest and trustworthy’.
  He had a reputation of being ‘a reliable, honest and tactful official’.
  Candidates are generally good, honest, sincere people who want to make the world a better place.
  ‘From the beginning we have been asking for fair and honest elections,’ he said.
  They often needed a greater amount of working capital to pay wages or purchase raw materials, which depended on a reputation for trustworthiness and honest dealing.
  Indeed those elections were neither fair nor honest; they were regimented and tightly controlled.
  Mick had a life of hard work and honest endeavour.
  And why should a person doing an honest day's hard work have to stand in line after hours for a handout in order to eat or pay rent?
  The vast majority of postal workers are decent, honest, law-abiding people.
  There are many thousands of good, decent, honest, unemployed people who are law-abiding and that never ever broke the law in their lives.
  Those that know him can attest that he is reliable, trustworthy, and honest.
  You're honest, reliable, trustworthy, intelligent, and very handsome as well.
  He was decent, honest, trustworthy, and quite handsome.
  All but four members of the commission said that the last election was fair and honest.
  Poverty is by no means something to be looked down upon, especially when one is earning a living through honest labour.
  Eschewing all the modern panoply of medical and technical assistance, Harrison believed in honest hard graft as his road to the top.
  I wonder which is the more honest way to earn a living?
  You need to be educated, hard working and honest.
  But, you also have been seen as ethical, trustworthy and honest.
  Synonyms
  morally correct, upright, honourable, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded, respectable
  virtuous, good, worthy, decent, law-abiding, high-minded, upstanding, just, fair, incorruptible, anti-corruption, truthful, true, veracious, trustworthy, trusty, reliable, conscientious, scrupulous, reputable, dependable, loyal, faithful
  informal on the level, honest-to-goodness
2. 1.2attributive Fairly earned, especially through hard work.
  he's struggling to make an honest living
  Example sentencesExamples
  Workers, often women, take risks to earn an honest living.
  He'll just have to earn an honest living when he grows up.
  It is about the inability of the poor people in such situations of social instability and violence to earn an honest day's wage and thus going to bed hungry.
  You can tolerate the hawkers for trying to earn an honest living.
  Basil's percussion playing is almost a permanent fixture in the mall and he sticks to his task of earning an honest dollar with zeal.
  Practitioners lead normal family lives, work hard for honest pay and aim to behave as good people in all situations and circumstances.
  Big oil is not to blame if governments and insurgents refuse to put down the guns and start earning an honest wage.
  On this walk I did see moving examples of small-scale entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living.
  Like many other Sikh Americans, Amric Singh, wants to earn an honest living while helping his surrounding community.
  During this period he is urged to earn an honest living and follow righteousness.
  They are struggling to earn an honest living in this capital, the same as the rest of us.
  For anyone who stakes his pride on earning an honest day's pay, this economic fall is, unsurprisingly enough, hard to bear.
  All the refugees on the project's books have one thing in common - a desire to get a job and earn an honest living.
  We are trying to earn an honest dollar.
  It's a perfect example of how conservative elites are out of touch with the reality of people who do earn an honest living.
  Guru Nanak also taught his Sikhs the great value of earning an honest living.
  Kelly later claimed that he was constantly provoked by the police and prevented from earning an honest living.
  And the woman draws herself up and delivers a stirring dialogue on her right to stay there and earn an honest living.
  These are innocent people just trying to earn an honest living, but who end up the real victims.
  She was always under the delusion that Edward was earning an honest living in London, and I never had the heart to tell her the truth.
3. 1.3 (of an action) done with good intentions even if unsuccessful or misguided.
  he'd made an honest mistake
  Example sentencesExamples
  In most circumstances, they are honest mistakes made by writers and editors under the pressures of strict deadlines and unrelenting workloads.
  He described the episode last summer as ‘an honest mistake.’
  It's an honest mistake and an assumption we've all made I'm sure.
  I think it was an honest and reasonable mistake for them to make at the time.
  I knew at the time that it could not have been an honest mistake but at Shirley's trial that was not the issue.
  However, as Justice Young's judgement makes clear, there was much worse than an honest mistake involved in the police decision to search my house.
  The play explores children's honest if naive attempts to reconcile conflicts between rules of peer friendship and the expectations of parents.
  But at least it had the benefit of honest if misguided passion.
  For that reason, I do not believe this was an honest mistake.
  The idea that this was an honest mistake, as he now claims, is ridiculous.
  The forums were honest, objective attempts to address the facts, and they have succeeded beyond our expectations.
  Doesn't this show that it might just be an honest mistake?
  Bob's position was an honest attempt to achieve something real.
  Defending, Andrew Stranex suggested that the 13-year-old boy had made an honest mistake over the robber's identity.
  Unlike my colleagues, I think this was an honest mistake.
  ‘The report imposed on the BBC a punishment far out of proportion to its or my mistakes, which were honest ones,’ he said.
  My flirtation with him was an honest mistake.
  It's one thing to cheat and one thing to make an honest mistake, especially when everybody watching on TV knew that they had mixed up their score cards.
  The Progressive Democrat leader said the proposal was a fair and honest attempt to deal with the issue and she was disappointed it did not receive a broad consensus of support.
  Sure, it might startle you a bit - it's not something you might have expected - but there's no point in getting your back up over something which is an honest mistake.
  Synonyms
  genuine, real, authentic, actual, true
  legitimate, above board, fair and square
  Latin bona fide
  informal legit, kosher, on the level, honest-to-goodness
4. 1.4attributive Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated.
  good honest food with no gimmicks
  Example sentencesExamples
  Central to this lifestyle is authentic and honest food and wine.
  It's an honest, decent and unpretentious golf course.
  That, though, was the only real grumble with a meal which may not win many culinary awards, but which represents good, honest weekday food served in a bustling yet relaxed environment.
  I think his food got a bit poncey at one point but now, at his new place, he is doing my style of food - real honest food at good prices.
  It is an honest, simple pie, and we extol its simplicities.
  It is a humble but honest place, with food more hearty than fancy, and prices appealing to mere mortals and theatrical luminaries alike.
  I love to eat as much as the next guy, but I also love simplicity - honest food that nourishes, that lets ingredients speak for themselves.
  One longs for simpler, more honest fare - something she appears quite capable of producing.
  In all the nostalgic celebrations, the impression is inevitably created that blues is some kind of touchstone for a simpler and more honest past: feel-good music for white people.
  I'm partial to having fish filleted before me, but a good, simple, honest pan of crêpes Suzette is tough to beat.
  It proves that the best food is honest food, made to uncomplicated recipes using the best ingredients.
  It is a simple, delicate, honest piece of work that strikes so many chords it could almost be music itself.
  Synonyms
  plain, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, without ornament, without ornamentation, unelaborate, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, no-nonsense, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills, homely, homespun, everyday, workaday

adverb ˈɒnɪstˈɑnəst

informal

Used to persuade someone of the truth of something.
you'll like it when you get there, honest
Example sentencesExamples
- I've been neglecting my journal but I'm determined to try harder, honest.

Phrases

earn (or turn) an honest penny

Earn money fairly.
Example sentencesExamples
- I very well could have kept turning an honest penny by teaching Greek philosophy.
- Shakespeare, Scott, Austen etc were primarily concerned with turning an honest penny, and probably didn't care what the critics thought as long as the public bought the books or theatre tickets.
- In his early years he also sold a variety of articles like accordions, concertinas and mouth-organs, costume accessories and polish - anything indeed which would turn an honest penny.
- The only offer he got was from a fellow-lodger, a young man who earned an honest penny by playing a tin whistle on the streets.
- ‘I regret that I did not publish them myself and turn an honest penny,’ he complained.
- As a rule they were conducted by enterprising men who were not only anxious to turn an honest penny, but to serve the best interests of the people as well.
- They apologised for being out at Christmas; they knew that Whitsun was the proper time, but work was slack and they thought there would be no harm in earning an honest penny.
- However, it was his proud boast that he was seldom out of work and was prepared to do almost anything that would earn an honest penny.
- But she said nothing about Mrs. Moore, and I supposed she'd be the usual bustling country housewife who takes in boarders to earn an honest penny.
- They are a prime example, having never earned an honest penny in their miserable lives.

make an honest woman of

dated, humorous Marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant.
Example sentencesExamples
- Alex is attempting to make an honest woman out of me.
- I'll just say Freddie has finally made an honest woman of Sally.
- We've discussed this for ages, but, now, finally, Robert is going to make an honest woman of me!
- Paula and Peter grew inseparable, and courted for years, before Peter finally made an honest woman of her.
- A source close to the couple recently revealed: ‘David's really keen to make an honest woman of Catherine - they've never talked about their relationship in public but they definitely see a long future together.’
- I hear you're making an honest woman of my sister.
- The only thing to be done now is to make an honest woman of this dear lady.
- He said it was time he made an honest woman of Joanna.
- Have you been putting off making an honest woman of your partner?
- Well, I think he should make an honest woman of her.
- When asked why he'd taken so long to make an honest woman of his girlfriend, Ron joked that he ‘hadn't had enough time to ask her.’
Synonyms
be married to, get married to, marry, be wed to, take as one's husband, take as one's wife, lead to the altar

to be honest

Speaking frankly.
to be honest, I expected to play worse
Example sentencesExamples
- I get involved in spite of myself and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
- I'd never been in one before, and to be honest, I didn't have a clue what you were meant to do.
- It could've been a lot better, to be honest, but it was easily the most interesting thing on the box.
- ‘To be honest I had forgotten all about it,’ said Mr Pedley.
- We all had big plans but, to be honest, how many people know what they want to be when they are 15?
- ‘To be honest it was all just about money,’ he said.
- To be honest, it was hard for me to understand why people wanted me to hold the exhibition.
- It's about an hour after the game and I'm still in a state of shock, to be honest.
- Now I notice that every other car in the car park is silver and, to be honest, I hate the colour.
- To say I broke my foot playing football is, to be honest, stretching the truth somewhat.
- It was always good fun and, to be honest, felt more like a party game than anything difficult.
- I never really thought it would happen and, to be honest, I still don't think it will.
- I was not on my best form and, to be honest, all that really interested me was the prospect of food.
- I could do with saving the money that I would have spent on the train fare, to be honest.
Synonyms
truthfully, really, truly, actually, to be honest, to tell you the truth, to be frank, speaking truthfully, speaking frankly, in all honesty, in all sincerity, in plain language, in plain english

Origin

Middle English (originally in the sense 'held in or deserving of honour'): via Old French from Latin honestus, from honos (see honour).

honour from Middle English:
Latin honor is the source of honour and of honest and honesty (both Middle English). The idea that there is honour among thieves was expressed even in the early 17th century. The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham was the first to put it in print in its modern form when he wrote in 1802: ‘A sort of honour may be found (according to a proverbial saying) even among thieves.’ The plant honesty is named from its diaphanous seed pods, translucency symbolizing lack of deceit.

Rhymes

monist

Definition of honest in US English:

honest

adjectiveˈɑnəstˈänəst

1Free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere.
I haven't been totally honest with you
Example sentencesExamples
- Harley shrugged, but then decided to give her his honest, sincere reply.
- I could trot out the usual arguments about how free and honest debate ultimately makes a party stronger, but I'm not sure I believe them any more.
- For a transaction of this magnitude to be successful, all parties involved must be honest, sincere and truthful to one another.
- He appeared so sincere, so honest, yet I couldn't hold any sympathy for him.
- Len tilted his head and looked at me, looking sincere and honest.
- Remember, your compliments must be honest, sincere and genuine.
- Pedro Almodóvar said recently that he considers himself more honest and sincere and clear in his movies than he is in real life.
- It is becoming hard to find genuinely honest and readable accounts of football.
- Unfortunately these two characters are unable to take it any further, they can't be intimate or truthful or completely honest and open about their lives.
- But one feels that the portrayal is honest and sincere (as Pasolini's were, for that matter).
- As an independent organisation we offer the frank, robust and honest opinions of supporters.
- We would like to thank all the students who gave us honest and sincere information on a broad range of issues in their lives.
- He encouraged a free press and honest debate in Parliament and welcomed nationwide participation in the political process.
- Even unusually honest journalists are not free of faults.
- This book contains an emotionally riveting, devastatingly honest, and morally compelling answer.
- In his dealings with parents he was always approachable, sincere and honest.
- They both are very direct men, they both are very honest and sincere men and they both are men who don't mince their words.
- Hornish also can rely on his father's experience and honest, straightforward opinions.
- Answers are rarely forthcoming that can be said to be totally honest, sincere, and clearly unambiguous.
- In general, focus group discussions consisted of honest, open and frank opinions of what the students thought about the class.
- As a Republican, I sincerely thank you for your honest, open, sincere and thoughtful dialogue.
Synonyms
truthful, sincere, candid, frank, direct, open, forthright, straight, straightforward, genuine, blunt, plain-spoken, plain-speaking, matter-of-fact, outspoken, as straight as a die, straight from the shoulder
objective, impartial, unbiased, balanced, unprejudiced, disinterested, even-handed, fair, just, equitable
1. 1.1 Morally correct or virtuous.
  I did the only right and honest thing
  Example sentencesExamples
  All but four members of the commission said that the last election was fair and honest.
  I believe that only a truly even-handed approach can lead to an honest, morally convincing, and effective human rights policy.
  There are many thousands of good, decent, honest, unemployed people who are law-abiding and that never ever broke the law in their lives.
  He was decent, honest, trustworthy, and quite handsome.
  Those that know him can attest that he is reliable, trustworthy, and honest.
  Poverty is by no means something to be looked down upon, especially when one is earning a living through honest labour.
  What is forgotten in most of the talk about litter on our streets and indiscriminate dumping is that it is the law-abiding, honest and upright members of the community that have to pay to have it cleaned up.
  He had a reputation of being ‘a reliable, honest and tactful official’.
  You're honest, reliable, trustworthy, intelligent, and very handsome as well.
  They often needed a greater amount of working capital to pay wages or purchase raw materials, which depended on a reputation for trustworthiness and honest dealing.
  However, if the person has shown himself to be reliable, trustworthy, and honest, you can be far more confident that he will keep his word.
  There is nothing to be feared from honest, free, two-way trade.
  I wonder which is the more honest way to earn a living?
  Paddy was a peaceful, decent, law-abiding and honest citizen.
  But, you also have been seen as ethical, trustworthy and honest.
  The vast majority of postal workers are decent, honest, law-abiding people.
  And why should a person doing an honest day's hard work have to stand in line after hours for a handout in order to eat or pay rent?
  Candidates are generally good, honest, sincere people who want to make the world a better place.
  Indeed those elections were neither fair nor honest; they were regimented and tightly controlled.
  ‘From the beginning we have been asking for fair and honest elections,’ he said.
  Mick had a life of hard work and honest endeavour.
  You need to be educated, hard working and honest.
  The successful applicants must be experienced, honest, hard working, efficient and enthusiastic.
  Eschewing all the modern panoply of medical and technical assistance, Harrison believed in honest hard graft as his road to the top.
  References attached to the form described him as ‘reliable, honest and trustworthy’.
  Synonyms
  morally correct, upright, honourable, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded, respectable
2. 1.2attributive Fairly earned, especially through hard work.
  struggling to make an honest living
  Example sentencesExamples
  On this walk I did see moving examples of small-scale entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living.
  She was always under the delusion that Edward was earning an honest living in London, and I never had the heart to tell her the truth.
  And the woman draws herself up and delivers a stirring dialogue on her right to stay there and earn an honest living.
  Big oil is not to blame if governments and insurgents refuse to put down the guns and start earning an honest wage.
  All the refugees on the project's books have one thing in common - a desire to get a job and earn an honest living.
  Guru Nanak also taught his Sikhs the great value of earning an honest living.
  They are struggling to earn an honest living in this capital, the same as the rest of us.
  Like many other Sikh Americans, Amric Singh, wants to earn an honest living while helping his surrounding community.
  It's a perfect example of how conservative elites are out of touch with the reality of people who do earn an honest living.
  We are trying to earn an honest dollar.
  Practitioners lead normal family lives, work hard for honest pay and aim to behave as good people in all situations and circumstances.
  These are innocent people just trying to earn an honest living, but who end up the real victims.
  He'll just have to earn an honest living when he grows up.
  It is about the inability of the poor people in such situations of social instability and violence to earn an honest day's wage and thus going to bed hungry.
  During this period he is urged to earn an honest living and follow righteousness.
  You can tolerate the hawkers for trying to earn an honest living.
  Kelly later claimed that he was constantly provoked by the police and prevented from earning an honest living.
  For anyone who stakes his pride on earning an honest day's pay, this economic fall is, unsurprisingly enough, hard to bear.
  Basil's percussion playing is almost a permanent fixture in the mall and he sticks to his task of earning an honest dollar with zeal.
  Workers, often women, take risks to earn an honest living.
3. 1.3 (of an action) blameless or well intentioned even if unsuccessful or misguided.
  he'd made an honest mistake
  Example sentencesExamples
  The idea that this was an honest mistake, as he now claims, is ridiculous.
  For that reason, I do not believe this was an honest mistake.
  Doesn't this show that it might just be an honest mistake?
  The Progressive Democrat leader said the proposal was a fair and honest attempt to deal with the issue and she was disappointed it did not receive a broad consensus of support.
  The play explores children's honest if naive attempts to reconcile conflicts between rules of peer friendship and the expectations of parents.
  Bob's position was an honest attempt to achieve something real.
  In most circumstances, they are honest mistakes made by writers and editors under the pressures of strict deadlines and unrelenting workloads.
  Unlike my colleagues, I think this was an honest mistake.
  I knew at the time that it could not have been an honest mistake but at Shirley's trial that was not the issue.
  However, as Justice Young's judgement makes clear, there was much worse than an honest mistake involved in the police decision to search my house.
  It's an honest mistake and an assumption we've all made I'm sure.
  ‘The report imposed on the BBC a punishment far out of proportion to its or my mistakes, which were honest ones,’ he said.
  Defending, Andrew Stranex suggested that the 13-year-old boy had made an honest mistake over the robber's identity.
  I think it was an honest and reasonable mistake for them to make at the time.
  But at least it had the benefit of honest if misguided passion.
  The forums were honest, objective attempts to address the facts, and they have succeeded beyond our expectations.
  It's one thing to cheat and one thing to make an honest mistake, especially when everybody watching on TV knew that they had mixed up their score cards.
  My flirtation with him was an honest mistake.
  Sure, it might startle you a bit - it's not something you might have expected - but there's no point in getting your back up over something which is an honest mistake.
  He described the episode last summer as ‘an honest mistake.’
  Synonyms
  genuine, real, authentic, actual, true
4. 1.4attributive Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated.
  good honest food with no gimmicks
  Example sentencesExamples
  It is a humble but honest place, with food more hearty than fancy, and prices appealing to mere mortals and theatrical luminaries alike.
  I think his food got a bit poncey at one point but now, at his new place, he is doing my style of food - real honest food at good prices.
  It's an honest, decent and unpretentious golf course.
  It is an honest, simple pie, and we extol its simplicities.
  It proves that the best food is honest food, made to uncomplicated recipes using the best ingredients.
  I love to eat as much as the next guy, but I also love simplicity - honest food that nourishes, that lets ingredients speak for themselves.
  It is a simple, delicate, honest piece of work that strikes so many chords it could almost be music itself.
  Central to this lifestyle is authentic and honest food and wine.
  That, though, was the only real grumble with a meal which may not win many culinary awards, but which represents good, honest weekday food served in a bustling yet relaxed environment.
  One longs for simpler, more honest fare - something she appears quite capable of producing.
  I'm partial to having fish filleted before me, but a good, simple, honest pan of crêpes Suzette is tough to beat.
  In all the nostalgic celebrations, the impression is inevitably created that blues is some kind of touchstone for a simpler and more honest past: feel-good music for white people.
  Synonyms
  plain, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, without ornament, without ornamentation, unelaborate, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, no-nonsense, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills, homely, homespun, everyday, workaday

adverbˈɑnəstˈänəst

informal

sentence adverb Used to persuade someone of the truth of something.
you'll like it when you get there, honest
Example sentencesExamples
- I've been neglecting my journal but I'm determined to try harder, honest.

Phrases

earn (or turn) an honest penny

Earn money fairly.
Example sentencesExamples
- As a rule they were conducted by enterprising men who were not only anxious to turn an honest penny, but to serve the best interests of the people as well.
- They are a prime example, having never earned an honest penny in their miserable lives.
- Shakespeare, Scott, Austen etc were primarily concerned with turning an honest penny, and probably didn't care what the critics thought as long as the public bought the books or theatre tickets.
- ‘I regret that I did not publish them myself and turn an honest penny,’ he complained.
- In his early years he also sold a variety of articles like accordions, concertinas and mouth-organs, costume accessories and polish - anything indeed which would turn an honest penny.
- However, it was his proud boast that he was seldom out of work and was prepared to do almost anything that would earn an honest penny.
- But she said nothing about Mrs. Moore, and I supposed she'd be the usual bustling country housewife who takes in boarders to earn an honest penny.
- The only offer he got was from a fellow-lodger, a young man who earned an honest penny by playing a tin whistle on the streets.
- I very well could have kept turning an honest penny by teaching Greek philosophy.
- They apologised for being out at Christmas; they knew that Whitsun was the proper time, but work was slack and they thought there would be no harm in earning an honest penny.

make an honest woman of

dated, humorous Marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant.
Example sentencesExamples
- Well, I think he should make an honest woman of her.
- We've discussed this for ages, but, now, finally, Robert is going to make an honest woman of me!
- Paula and Peter grew inseparable, and courted for years, before Peter finally made an honest woman of her.
- When asked why he'd taken so long to make an honest woman of his girlfriend, Ron joked that he ‘hadn't had enough time to ask her.’
- He said it was time he made an honest woman of Joanna.
- Alex is attempting to make an honest woman out of me.
- I'll just say Freddie has finally made an honest woman of Sally.
- I hear you're making an honest woman of my sister.
- A source close to the couple recently revealed: ‘David's really keen to make an honest woman of Catherine - they've never talked about their relationship in public but they definitely see a long future together.’
- Have you been putting off making an honest woman of your partner?
- The only thing to be done now is to make an honest woman of this dear lady.
Synonyms
be married to, get married to, marry, be wed to, take as one's husband, take as one's wife, lead to the altar

to be honest

Speaking frankly.
I've never been much of a movie buff, to be honest
Example sentencesExamples
- Now I notice that every other car in the car park is silver and, to be honest, I hate the colour.
- It's about an hour after the game and I'm still in a state of shock, to be honest.
- ‘To be honest it was all just about money,’ he said.
- ‘To be honest I had forgotten all about it,’ said Mr Pedley.
- I'd never been in one before, and to be honest, I didn't have a clue what you were meant to do.
- To say I broke my foot playing football is, to be honest, stretching the truth somewhat.
- I never really thought it would happen and, to be honest, I still don't think it will.
- We all had big plans but, to be honest, how many people know what they want to be when they are 15?
- I could do with saving the money that I would have spent on the train fare, to be honest.
- It could've been a lot better, to be honest, but it was easily the most interesting thing on the box.
- To be honest, it was hard for me to understand why people wanted me to hold the exhibition.
- I was not on my best form and, to be honest, all that really interested me was the prospect of food.
- It was always good fun and, to be honest, felt more like a party game than anything difficult.
- I get involved in spite of myself and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Synonyms
truthfully, really, truly, actually, to be honest, to tell you the truth, to be frank, speaking truthfully, speaking frankly, in all honesty, in all sincerity, in plain language, in plain english

Origin

Middle English (originally in the sense ‘held in or deserving of honor’): via Old French from Latin honestus, from honos (see honor).

单词	honest
释义	Definition of honest in English: honest adjective ˈɒnɪstˈɑnəst 1Free of deceit; truthful and sincere. I haven't been totally honest with you Example sentencesExamples Harley shrugged, but then decided to give her his honest, sincere reply. As a Republican, I sincerely thank you for your honest, open, sincere and thoughtful dialogue. For a transaction of this magnitude to be successful, all parties involved must be honest, sincere and truthful to one another. Hornish also can rely on his father's experience and honest, straightforward opinions. It is becoming hard to find genuinely honest and readable accounts of football. As an independent organisation we offer the frank, robust and honest opinions of supporters. He encouraged a free press and honest debate in Parliament and welcomed nationwide participation in the political process. Len tilted his head and looked at me, looking sincere and honest. I could trot out the usual arguments about how free and honest debate ultimately makes a party stronger, but I'm not sure I believe them any more. We would like to thank all the students who gave us honest and sincere information on a broad range of issues in their lives. Pedro Almodóvar said recently that he considers himself more honest and sincere and clear in his movies than he is in real life. They both are very direct men, they both are very honest and sincere men and they both are men who don't mince their words. But one feels that the portrayal is honest and sincere (as Pasolini's were, for that matter). Answers are rarely forthcoming that can be said to be totally honest, sincere, and clearly unambiguous. This book contains an emotionally riveting, devastatingly honest, and morally compelling answer. Even unusually honest journalists are not free of faults. Remember, your compliments must be honest, sincere and genuine. In general, focus group discussions consisted of honest, open and frank opinions of what the students thought about the class. He appeared so sincere, so honest, yet I couldn't hold any sympathy for him. Unfortunately these two characters are unable to take it any further, they can't be intimate or truthful or completely honest and open about their lives. In his dealings with parents he was always approachable, sincere and honest. Synonyms truthful, sincere, candid, frank, direct, open, forthright, straight, straightforward, genuine, blunt, plain-spoken, plain-speaking, matter-of-fact, outspoken, as straight as a die, straight from the shoulder informal upfront archaic free-spoken objective, impartial, unbiased, balanced, unprejudiced, disinterested, even-handed, fair, just, equitable 1.1 Morally correct or virtuous. I did the only right and honest thing Example sentencesExamples However, if the person has shown himself to be reliable, trustworthy, and honest, you can be far more confident that he will keep his word. Paddy was a peaceful, decent, law-abiding and honest citizen. I believe that only a truly even-handed approach can lead to an honest, morally convincing, and effective human rights policy. There is nothing to be feared from honest, free, two-way trade. The successful applicants must be experienced, honest, hard working, efficient and enthusiastic. What is forgotten in most of the talk about litter on our streets and indiscriminate dumping is that it is the law-abiding, honest and upright members of the community that have to pay to have it cleaned up. References attached to the form described him as ‘reliable, honest and trustworthy’. He had a reputation of being ‘a reliable, honest and tactful official’. Candidates are generally good, honest, sincere people who want to make the world a better place. ‘From the beginning we have been asking for fair and honest elections,’ he said. They often needed a greater amount of working capital to pay wages or purchase raw materials, which depended on a reputation for trustworthiness and honest dealing. Indeed those elections were neither fair nor honest; they were regimented and tightly controlled. Mick had a life of hard work and honest endeavour. And why should a person doing an honest day's hard work have to stand in line after hours for a handout in order to eat or pay rent? The vast majority of postal workers are decent, honest, law-abiding people. There are many thousands of good, decent, honest, unemployed people who are law-abiding and that never ever broke the law in their lives. Those that know him can attest that he is reliable, trustworthy, and honest. You're honest, reliable, trustworthy, intelligent, and very handsome as well. He was decent, honest, trustworthy, and quite handsome. All but four members of the commission said that the last election was fair and honest. Poverty is by no means something to be looked down upon, especially when one is earning a living through honest labour. Eschewing all the modern panoply of medical and technical assistance, Harrison believed in honest hard graft as his road to the top. I wonder which is the more honest way to earn a living? You need to be educated, hard working and honest. But, you also have been seen as ethical, trustworthy and honest. Synonyms morally correct, upright, honourable, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded, respectable virtuous, good, worthy, decent, law-abiding, high-minded, upstanding, just, fair, incorruptible, anti-corruption, truthful, true, veracious, trustworthy, trusty, reliable, conscientious, scrupulous, reputable, dependable, loyal, faithful informal on the level, honest-to-goodness 1.2attributive Fairly earned, especially through hard work. he's struggling to make an honest living Example sentencesExamples Workers, often women, take risks to earn an honest living. He'll just have to earn an honest living when he grows up. It is about the inability of the poor people in such situations of social instability and violence to earn an honest day's wage and thus going to bed hungry. You can tolerate the hawkers for trying to earn an honest living. Basil's percussion playing is almost a permanent fixture in the mall and he sticks to his task of earning an honest dollar with zeal. Practitioners lead normal family lives, work hard for honest pay and aim to behave as good people in all situations and circumstances. Big oil is not to blame if governments and insurgents refuse to put down the guns and start earning an honest wage. On this walk I did see moving examples of small-scale entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living. Like many other Sikh Americans, Amric Singh, wants to earn an honest living while helping his surrounding community. During this period he is urged to earn an honest living and follow righteousness. They are struggling to earn an honest living in this capital, the same as the rest of us. For anyone who stakes his pride on earning an honest day's pay, this economic fall is, unsurprisingly enough, hard to bear. All the refugees on the project's books have one thing in common - a desire to get a job and earn an honest living. We are trying to earn an honest dollar. It's a perfect example of how conservative elites are out of touch with the reality of people who do earn an honest living. Guru Nanak also taught his Sikhs the great value of earning an honest living. Kelly later claimed that he was constantly provoked by the police and prevented from earning an honest living. And the woman draws herself up and delivers a stirring dialogue on her right to stay there and earn an honest living. These are innocent people just trying to earn an honest living, but who end up the real victims. She was always under the delusion that Edward was earning an honest living in London, and I never had the heart to tell her the truth. 1.3 (of an action) done with good intentions even if unsuccessful or misguided. he'd made an honest mistake Example sentencesExamples In most circumstances, they are honest mistakes made by writers and editors under the pressures of strict deadlines and unrelenting workloads. He described the episode last summer as ‘an honest mistake.’ It's an honest mistake and an assumption we've all made I'm sure. I think it was an honest and reasonable mistake for them to make at the time. I knew at the time that it could not have been an honest mistake but at Shirley's trial that was not the issue. However, as Justice Young's judgement makes clear, there was much worse than an honest mistake involved in the police decision to search my house. The play explores children's honest if naive attempts to reconcile conflicts between rules of peer friendship and the expectations of parents. But at least it had the benefit of honest if misguided passion. For that reason, I do not believe this was an honest mistake. The idea that this was an honest mistake, as he now claims, is ridiculous. The forums were honest, objective attempts to address the facts, and they have succeeded beyond our expectations. Doesn't this show that it might just be an honest mistake? Bob's position was an honest attempt to achieve something real. Defending, Andrew Stranex suggested that the 13-year-old boy had made an honest mistake over the robber's identity. Unlike my colleagues, I think this was an honest mistake. ‘The report imposed on the BBC a punishment far out of proportion to its or my mistakes, which were honest ones,’ he said. My flirtation with him was an honest mistake. It's one thing to cheat and one thing to make an honest mistake, especially when everybody watching on TV knew that they had mixed up their score cards. The Progressive Democrat leader said the proposal was a fair and honest attempt to deal with the issue and she was disappointed it did not receive a broad consensus of support. Sure, it might startle you a bit - it's not something you might have expected - but there's no point in getting your back up over something which is an honest mistake. Synonyms genuine, real, authentic, actual, true legitimate, above board, fair and square Latin bona fide informal legit, kosher, on the level, honest-to-goodness 1.4attributive Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated. good honest food with no gimmicks Example sentencesExamples Central to this lifestyle is authentic and honest food and wine. It's an honest, decent and unpretentious golf course. That, though, was the only real grumble with a meal which may not win many culinary awards, but which represents good, honest weekday food served in a bustling yet relaxed environment. I think his food got a bit poncey at one point but now, at his new place, he is doing my style of food - real honest food at good prices. It is an honest, simple pie, and we extol its simplicities. It is a humble but honest place, with food more hearty than fancy, and prices appealing to mere mortals and theatrical luminaries alike. I love to eat as much as the next guy, but I also love simplicity - honest food that nourishes, that lets ingredients speak for themselves. One longs for simpler, more honest fare - something she appears quite capable of producing. In all the nostalgic celebrations, the impression is inevitably created that blues is some kind of touchstone for a simpler and more honest past: feel-good music for white people. I'm partial to having fish filleted before me, but a good, simple, honest pan of crêpes Suzette is tough to beat. It proves that the best food is honest food, made to uncomplicated recipes using the best ingredients. It is a simple, delicate, honest piece of work that strikes so many chords it could almost be music itself. Synonyms plain, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, without ornament, without ornamentation, unelaborate, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, no-nonsense, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills, homely, homespun, everyday, workaday adverb ˈɒnɪstˈɑnəst informal Used to persuade someone of the truth of something. you'll like it when you get there, honest Example sentencesExamples I've been neglecting my journal but I'm determined to try harder, honest. Phrases earn (or turn) an honest penny Earn money fairly. Example sentencesExamples I very well could have kept turning an honest penny by teaching Greek philosophy. Shakespeare, Scott, Austen etc were primarily concerned with turning an honest penny, and probably didn't care what the critics thought as long as the public bought the books or theatre tickets. In his early years he also sold a variety of articles like accordions, concertinas and mouth-organs, costume accessories and polish - anything indeed which would turn an honest penny. The only offer he got was from a fellow-lodger, a young man who earned an honest penny by playing a tin whistle on the streets. ‘I regret that I did not publish them myself and turn an honest penny,’ he complained. As a rule they were conducted by enterprising men who were not only anxious to turn an honest penny, but to serve the best interests of the people as well. They apologised for being out at Christmas; they knew that Whitsun was the proper time, but work was slack and they thought there would be no harm in earning an honest penny. However, it was his proud boast that he was seldom out of work and was prepared to do almost anything that would earn an honest penny. But she said nothing about Mrs. Moore, and I supposed she'd be the usual bustling country housewife who takes in boarders to earn an honest penny. They are a prime example, having never earned an honest penny in their miserable lives. make an honest woman of dated, humorous Marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant. Example sentencesExamples Alex is attempting to make an honest woman out of me. I'll just say Freddie has finally made an honest woman of Sally. We've discussed this for ages, but, now, finally, Robert is going to make an honest woman of me! Paula and Peter grew inseparable, and courted for years, before Peter finally made an honest woman of her. A source close to the couple recently revealed: ‘David's really keen to make an honest woman of Catherine - they've never talked about their relationship in public but they definitely see a long future together.’ I hear you're making an honest woman of my sister. The only thing to be done now is to make an honest woman of this dear lady. He said it was time he made an honest woman of Joanna. Have you been putting off making an honest woman of your partner? Well, I think he should make an honest woman of her. When asked why he'd taken so long to make an honest woman of his girlfriend, Ron joked that he ‘hadn't had enough time to ask her.’ Synonyms be married to, get married to, marry, be wed to, take as one's husband, take as one's wife, lead to the altar to be honest Speaking frankly. to be honest, I expected to play worse Example sentencesExamples I get involved in spite of myself and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd never been in one before, and to be honest, I didn't have a clue what you were meant to do. It could've been a lot better, to be honest, but it was easily the most interesting thing on the box. ‘To be honest I had forgotten all about it,’ said Mr Pedley. We all had big plans but, to be honest, how many people know what they want to be when they are 15? ‘To be honest it was all just about money,’ he said. To be honest, it was hard for me to understand why people wanted me to hold the exhibition. It's about an hour after the game and I'm still in a state of shock, to be honest. Now I notice that every other car in the car park is silver and, to be honest, I hate the colour. To say I broke my foot playing football is, to be honest, stretching the truth somewhat. It was always good fun and, to be honest, felt more like a party game than anything difficult. I never really thought it would happen and, to be honest, I still don't think it will. I was not on my best form and, to be honest, all that really interested me was the prospect of food. I could do with saving the money that I would have spent on the train fare, to be honest. Synonyms truthfully, really, truly, actually, to be honest, to tell you the truth, to be frank, speaking truthfully, speaking frankly, in all honesty, in all sincerity, in plain language, in plain english Origin Middle English (originally in the sense 'held in or deserving of honour'): via Old French from Latin honestus, from honos (see honour). honour from Middle English: Latin honor is the source of honour and of honest and honesty (both Middle English). The idea that there is honour among thieves was expressed even in the early 17th century. The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham was the first to put it in print in its modern form when he wrote in 1802: ‘A sort of honour may be found (according to a proverbial saying) even among thieves.’ The plant honesty is named from its diaphanous seed pods, translucency symbolizing lack of deceit. Rhymes monist adj.1 phr. Definition of honest in US English: honest adjectiveˈɑnəstˈänəst 1Free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere. I haven't been totally honest with you Example sentencesExamples Harley shrugged, but then decided to give her his honest, sincere reply. I could trot out the usual arguments about how free and honest debate ultimately makes a party stronger, but I'm not sure I believe them any more. For a transaction of this magnitude to be successful, all parties involved must be honest, sincere and truthful to one another. He appeared so sincere, so honest, yet I couldn't hold any sympathy for him. Len tilted his head and looked at me, looking sincere and honest. Remember, your compliments must be honest, sincere and genuine. Pedro Almodóvar said recently that he considers himself more honest and sincere and clear in his movies than he is in real life. It is becoming hard to find genuinely honest and readable accounts of football. Unfortunately these two characters are unable to take it any further, they can't be intimate or truthful or completely honest and open about their lives. But one feels that the portrayal is honest and sincere (as Pasolini's were, for that matter). As an independent organisation we offer the frank, robust and honest opinions of supporters. We would like to thank all the students who gave us honest and sincere information on a broad range of issues in their lives. He encouraged a free press and honest debate in Parliament and welcomed nationwide participation in the political process. Even unusually honest journalists are not free of faults. This book contains an emotionally riveting, devastatingly honest, and morally compelling answer. In his dealings with parents he was always approachable, sincere and honest. They both are very direct men, they both are very honest and sincere men and they both are men who don't mince their words. Hornish also can rely on his father's experience and honest, straightforward opinions. Answers are rarely forthcoming that can be said to be totally honest, sincere, and clearly unambiguous. In general, focus group discussions consisted of honest, open and frank opinions of what the students thought about the class. As a Republican, I sincerely thank you for your honest, open, sincere and thoughtful dialogue. Synonyms truthful, sincere, candid, frank, direct, open, forthright, straight, straightforward, genuine, blunt, plain-spoken, plain-speaking, matter-of-fact, outspoken, as straight as a die, straight from the shoulder objective, impartial, unbiased, balanced, unprejudiced, disinterested, even-handed, fair, just, equitable 1.1 Morally correct or virtuous. I did the only right and honest thing Example sentencesExamples All but four members of the commission said that the last election was fair and honest. I believe that only a truly even-handed approach can lead to an honest, morally convincing, and effective human rights policy. There are many thousands of good, decent, honest, unemployed people who are law-abiding and that never ever broke the law in their lives. He was decent, honest, trustworthy, and quite handsome. Those that know him can attest that he is reliable, trustworthy, and honest. Poverty is by no means something to be looked down upon, especially when one is earning a living through honest labour. What is forgotten in most of the talk about litter on our streets and indiscriminate dumping is that it is the law-abiding, honest and upright members of the community that have to pay to have it cleaned up. He had a reputation of being ‘a reliable, honest and tactful official’. You're honest, reliable, trustworthy, intelligent, and very handsome as well. They often needed a greater amount of working capital to pay wages or purchase raw materials, which depended on a reputation for trustworthiness and honest dealing. However, if the person has shown himself to be reliable, trustworthy, and honest, you can be far more confident that he will keep his word. There is nothing to be feared from honest, free, two-way trade. I wonder which is the more honest way to earn a living? Paddy was a peaceful, decent, law-abiding and honest citizen. But, you also have been seen as ethical, trustworthy and honest. The vast majority of postal workers are decent, honest, law-abiding people. And why should a person doing an honest day's hard work have to stand in line after hours for a handout in order to eat or pay rent? Candidates are generally good, honest, sincere people who want to make the world a better place. Indeed those elections were neither fair nor honest; they were regimented and tightly controlled. ‘From the beginning we have been asking for fair and honest elections,’ he said. Mick had a life of hard work and honest endeavour. You need to be educated, hard working and honest. The successful applicants must be experienced, honest, hard working, efficient and enthusiastic. Eschewing all the modern panoply of medical and technical assistance, Harrison believed in honest hard graft as his road to the top. References attached to the form described him as ‘reliable, honest and trustworthy’. Synonyms morally correct, upright, honourable, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded, respectable 1.2attributive Fairly earned, especially through hard work. struggling to make an honest living Example sentencesExamples On this walk I did see moving examples of small-scale entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living. She was always under the delusion that Edward was earning an honest living in London, and I never had the heart to tell her the truth. And the woman draws herself up and delivers a stirring dialogue on her right to stay there and earn an honest living. Big oil is not to blame if governments and insurgents refuse to put down the guns and start earning an honest wage. All the refugees on the project's books have one thing in common - a desire to get a job and earn an honest living. Guru Nanak also taught his Sikhs the great value of earning an honest living. They are struggling to earn an honest living in this capital, the same as the rest of us. Like many other Sikh Americans, Amric Singh, wants to earn an honest living while helping his surrounding community. It's a perfect example of how conservative elites are out of touch with the reality of people who do earn an honest living. We are trying to earn an honest dollar. Practitioners lead normal family lives, work hard for honest pay and aim to behave as good people in all situations and circumstances. These are innocent people just trying to earn an honest living, but who end up the real victims. He'll just have to earn an honest living when he grows up. It is about the inability of the poor people in such situations of social instability and violence to earn an honest day's wage and thus going to bed hungry. During this period he is urged to earn an honest living and follow righteousness. You can tolerate the hawkers for trying to earn an honest living. Kelly later claimed that he was constantly provoked by the police and prevented from earning an honest living. For anyone who stakes his pride on earning an honest day's pay, this economic fall is, unsurprisingly enough, hard to bear. Basil's percussion playing is almost a permanent fixture in the mall and he sticks to his task of earning an honest dollar with zeal. Workers, often women, take risks to earn an honest living. 1.3 (of an action) blameless or well intentioned even if unsuccessful or misguided. he'd made an honest mistake Example sentencesExamples The idea that this was an honest mistake, as he now claims, is ridiculous. For that reason, I do not believe this was an honest mistake. Doesn't this show that it might just be an honest mistake? The Progressive Democrat leader said the proposal was a fair and honest attempt to deal with the issue and she was disappointed it did not receive a broad consensus of support. The play explores children's honest if naive attempts to reconcile conflicts between rules of peer friendship and the expectations of parents. Bob's position was an honest attempt to achieve something real. In most circumstances, they are honest mistakes made by writers and editors under the pressures of strict deadlines and unrelenting workloads. Unlike my colleagues, I think this was an honest mistake. I knew at the time that it could not have been an honest mistake but at Shirley's trial that was not the issue. However, as Justice Young's judgement makes clear, there was much worse than an honest mistake involved in the police decision to search my house. It's an honest mistake and an assumption we've all made I'm sure. ‘The report imposed on the BBC a punishment far out of proportion to its or my mistakes, which were honest ones,’ he said. Defending, Andrew Stranex suggested that the 13-year-old boy had made an honest mistake over the robber's identity. I think it was an honest and reasonable mistake for them to make at the time. But at least it had the benefit of honest if misguided passion. The forums were honest, objective attempts to address the facts, and they have succeeded beyond our expectations. It's one thing to cheat and one thing to make an honest mistake, especially when everybody watching on TV knew that they had mixed up their score cards. My flirtation with him was an honest mistake. Sure, it might startle you a bit - it's not something you might have expected - but there's no point in getting your back up over something which is an honest mistake. He described the episode last summer as ‘an honest mistake.’ Synonyms genuine, real, authentic, actual, true 1.4attributive Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated. good honest food with no gimmicks Example sentencesExamples It is a humble but honest place, with food more hearty than fancy, and prices appealing to mere mortals and theatrical luminaries alike. I think his food got a bit poncey at one point but now, at his new place, he is doing my style of food - real honest food at good prices. It's an honest, decent and unpretentious golf course. It is an honest, simple pie, and we extol its simplicities. It proves that the best food is honest food, made to uncomplicated recipes using the best ingredients. I love to eat as much as the next guy, but I also love simplicity - honest food that nourishes, that lets ingredients speak for themselves. It is a simple, delicate, honest piece of work that strikes so many chords it could almost be music itself. Central to this lifestyle is authentic and honest food and wine. That, though, was the only real grumble with a meal which may not win many culinary awards, but which represents good, honest weekday food served in a bustling yet relaxed environment. One longs for simpler, more honest fare - something she appears quite capable of producing. I'm partial to having fish filleted before me, but a good, simple, honest pan of crêpes Suzette is tough to beat. In all the nostalgic celebrations, the impression is inevitably created that blues is some kind of touchstone for a simpler and more honest past: feel-good music for white people. Synonyms plain, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, without ornament, without ornamentation, unelaborate, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, no-nonsense, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills, homely, homespun, everyday, workaday adverbˈɑnəstˈänəst informal sentence adverb Used to persuade someone of the truth of something. you'll like it when you get there, honest Example sentencesExamples I've been neglecting my journal but I'm determined to try harder, honest. Phrases earn (or turn) an honest penny Earn money fairly. Example sentencesExamples As a rule they were conducted by enterprising men who were not only anxious to turn an honest penny, but to serve the best interests of the people as well. They are a prime example, having never earned an honest penny in their miserable lives. Shakespeare, Scott, Austen etc were primarily concerned with turning an honest penny, and probably didn't care what the critics thought as long as the public bought the books or theatre tickets. ‘I regret that I did not publish them myself and turn an honest penny,’ he complained. In his early years he also sold a variety of articles like accordions, concertinas and mouth-organs, costume accessories and polish - anything indeed which would turn an honest penny. However, it was his proud boast that he was seldom out of work and was prepared to do almost anything that would earn an honest penny. But she said nothing about Mrs. Moore, and I supposed she'd be the usual bustling country housewife who takes in boarders to earn an honest penny. The only offer he got was from a fellow-lodger, a young man who earned an honest penny by playing a tin whistle on the streets. I very well could have kept turning an honest penny by teaching Greek philosophy. They apologised for being out at Christmas; they knew that Whitsun was the proper time, but work was slack and they thought there would be no harm in earning an honest penny. make an honest woman of dated, humorous Marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant. Example sentencesExamples Well, I think he should make an honest woman of her. We've discussed this for ages, but, now, finally, Robert is going to make an honest woman of me! Paula and Peter grew inseparable, and courted for years, before Peter finally made an honest woman of her. When asked why he'd taken so long to make an honest woman of his girlfriend, Ron joked that he ‘hadn't had enough time to ask her.’ He said it was time he made an honest woman of Joanna. Alex is attempting to make an honest woman out of me. I'll just say Freddie has finally made an honest woman of Sally. I hear you're making an honest woman of my sister. A source close to the couple recently revealed: ‘David's really keen to make an honest woman of Catherine - they've never talked about their relationship in public but they definitely see a long future together.’ Have you been putting off making an honest woman of your partner? The only thing to be done now is to make an honest woman of this dear lady. Synonyms be married to, get married to, marry, be wed to, take as one's husband, take as one's wife, lead to the altar to be honest Speaking frankly. I've never been much of a movie buff, to be honest Example sentencesExamples Now I notice that every other car in the car park is silver and, to be honest, I hate the colour. It's about an hour after the game and I'm still in a state of shock, to be honest. ‘To be honest it was all just about money,’ he said. ‘To be honest I had forgotten all about it,’ said Mr Pedley. I'd never been in one before, and to be honest, I didn't have a clue what you were meant to do. To say I broke my foot playing football is, to be honest, stretching the truth somewhat. I never really thought it would happen and, to be honest, I still don't think it will. We all had big plans but, to be honest, how many people know what they want to be when they are 15? I could do with saving the money that I would have spent on the train fare, to be honest. It could've been a lot better, to be honest, but it was easily the most interesting thing on the box. To be honest, it was hard for me to understand why people wanted me to hold the exhibition. I was not on my best form and, to be honest, all that really interested me was the prospect of food. It was always good fun and, to be honest, felt more like a party game than anything difficult. I get involved in spite of myself and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. Synonyms truthfully, really, truly, actually, to be honest, to tell you the truth, to be frank, speaking truthfully, speaking frankly, in all honesty, in all sincerity, in plain language, in plain english Origin Middle English (originally in the sense ‘held in or deserving of honor’): via Old French from Latin honestus, from honos (see honor). adj.1 phr.
随便看	pretending pretendingly pretendings pretendment pretend not to notice pretend not to see pretendress pretends pretend to pretend to pretend to be pretend to be an invalid pretend to be ill pretense pretenses pre-tension pretension pre-tensioner pretensioner pre-tensioner pre-tensioners pretensionless pretensionless pretensions pretensions