not to put too fine a point on it UK /nɒt tʊ ˌpʊt tuː ˌfaɪn ə ˈpɔɪnt ɒn ɪt/US /nɑt tə ˌpʊt tu ˌfaɪn ə ˈpɔɪnt ɑn ət/ phrase1 •Used to apologize for a possibly impolite statement one is making; to put it bluntly; to express it in plain terms.