Like 'to tell you the truth', 'just wondering' or 'just to let you know' usually means something else is going on. Sometimes I really do mean but: I’m trying to bike home before the rain comes in but that light is red. I’m trying to train myself not to say just, she said, not to undermine and minimise what I think. Slightly neurotic’Opens in new window ]I tend to prick up my ears when someone announces any form of truth-telling. Like “to tell you the truth”, “just wondering” or “just to let you know” usually means something else is going on.

Source: The Irish Times March 30, 2026 06:32 UTC