to tell the truth

to tell (you) the truth

I must admit; to be honest; in actuality. To tell you the truth, even though I majored in English literature, I've never read anything by Hemingway! I know I said I wanted to go out to the bars tonight, but to tell the truth, I'd rather just stay home and watch a movie.
See also: tell, truth
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

to tell (you) the ˈtruth

used when admitting something: To tell the truth, I fell asleep in the middle of her talk.
See also: tell, truth
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • (if the) truth be told
  • (if the) truth be known
  • if truth be known/told
  • tell you the truth
  • the honest truth
  • God's honest truth
  • honest to a fault
  • make an honest buck
  • earn an honest buck
  • an honest buck
References in periodicals archive
But coming from a "purity" candidate who wants to lecture us on "how to tell the truth," it suggests a certain self-delusion.
Other statements such as: "to be perfectly frank...," "to be honest...," "to be perfectly truthful...," or "I was always taught to tell the truth," often intend to deceive.
Most people also believe that the party leaders are out of touch with people's concerns and that government ministers cannot be trusted to tell the truth.
Reassure them that it is always better to tell the truth as things can quickly be resolved and lessons learned from mistakes.
Mr Bush said the former deputy prime minister, the most visible face of the former Iraqi government other than Saddam's, 'still doesn't know how to tell the truth'.
A handbook issued by Midlothian Council lists the "inability to tell the truth" beside afflictions such as dyslexia.
Their responses revealed assorted techniques, from ensuring that the right people are in meetings to making frequent on-site visits--and to the basic fact that the CEO has to create an environment where people are simply not afraid to tell the truth.
Collatos, alas, had attained a degree of criminality and unreliability, springing from an apparent inability to tell the truth, that at long last disqualified him from meeting the very low threshold of probity and credibility that one needs to be a valued and rewarded government witness.
Lack of arguments and themes to persuade subjects to tell the truth stands as a major cause of interrogation failures.
Perhaps that Americans on both sides of the divisive national debate on Vietnam should not wait until they are 78 years old to tell the truth about what happened.
Politicians face new rules compelling them to tell the truth - or else.
All lawyers have a duty as officers of the court to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
In the film, his son's birthday wish is that his lawyer dad has to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
A landslide 72 per cent of people believe that politicians cannot be trusted to tell the truth. And seven out of ten people believe that Government Ministers are prone to lying.
For the woman who kills her spouse, the chance to tell her side of the story - the years of abuse by her husband - may prove reason enough for her to tell the truth. For the repeat burglar, knowing that continuing to break into homes could result in being killed or wounded by a homeowner armed with a firearm may constitute a reason to confess.