"truth to tell"

[Jonathan Lighter]

How about "sooth to tell" ?  OED has it from 1855 (s.v. _tell_, v.), but here's one that's considerably earlier :

  1719 Thomas Brereton _Charnock Junior_ (London: William Chetwood) 28: And sooth to tell, thy Aspect speaks no less.

  "(The) truth to tell" is even older :

  ca1701 _A Cabinet of Choice Jewels_  (London: B. Deacon, n.d.) 20: And now the truth to tell, He must be from our presence sent. O _Christmas_ will now farewell [sic].

  JL

sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: sagehen
Subject: Re: "truth to tell"
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>I don't recall having heard "truth to tell" but if it did morph from "to
>tell the truth" it probably got an analogical boost from "truth be told".
>
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I'm sure you're right. AND I have the same allergy to "truth be told"!
AM

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