truth be told
Meaning: To be honest about it.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Truth be told, I never liked that sofa either.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: An old subjunctive construction, "let the truth be told." The phrase is common in English from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Russian: нечего греха таить (nechego grekha tait') — literally: nothing of sin to hide
More idioms — Daily Life
- for the life of me — However hard I try.
- kick the can down the road — To put off dealing with a problem, leaving it for later.
- drop the ball — To make a mistake, especially by failing to do something one was responsible for.
- come out of the closet — To tell people openly that one is gay or lesbian; more broadly, to reveal something kept…
- neither here nor there — Not relevant to the matter being discussed.
- at this stage of the game — At this point in a process, usually when it is late to change things.
More English idioms
- away with the fairies — Daydreaming, or not quite in touch with reality.
- something is rotten in the state of Denmark — Something is seriously wrong, often something being hidden.
- get the hang of something — To learn how to do something.
- the eye of the storm — The center of a crisis; sometimes a brief calm in the middle of it.
- poor as a church mouse — Extremely poor.
- go all out — To make the greatest possible effort.