"truth to tell"

[sagehen]

Anyone out there have a sense of when "to tell the truth" morphed into
"truth to tell"?
Even though I regard it as a silly bit of havering, I must admit that I do
utter "to tell the truth" sort of automatically at times.  But "truth to
tell" sets my teeth on edge for some reason.  I can't remember when I first
began to notice it, but it seems to be getting more common.
AM


~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org