
Man to man
Candid Conversation
Used when having an open and sincere discussion, often about difficult subjects between two people.
After the game, the coach had a man to man talk with the player about his performance.
Private Setting
Indicates a conversation should be in private rather than in a group or public place.
We should discuss your promotion man to man, not here in the office hallway.
Gender Neutral
The phrase can be used regardless of the actual gender of the participants in the conversation.
The phrase 'man to man' is a bit old-fashioned, but she requested a man to man conversation with her mentor.