couch (something) in (something)
(redirected from couch it in kind words)couch (something) in (something)
To convey something very deliberately by saying it in a particular way or with particular wording. That professor always manages to couch her criticism in kind words, so I'm never too upset by her negative feedback. Would you just tell me directly what you're upset about, rather than couching every word in petulance? But I have to fire this poor girl. How exactly am I supposed to couch that in anything positive?
See also: couch
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
couch something in something
to express something in carefully chosen or deceptive words. He tended to couch his explanations in arcane vocabulary. She couched her words in an overly polite manner.
See also: couch
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.