"To be honest...."
 

I have a buddy that claims this phrase is not acceptable, that it implies everything previously said was not honest. I say it's just a common phrase meaning "without sugar coating it".

What say you? Do you take it literal or what?

I use it quite a bit... but not to prove that I am honest with those I speak to, but to set them up for the truth that may hurt their ego / feelings... I would hope that more people would be frank with me when I ask questions versus some of the answers that I receive.. sometimes I can be super brilliant, and at other times I am as dumb as a box of rocks...

There are a lot of phrases in the English language that don't make sense if you pick them apart. "All but done" WTF does that really mean. The list is endless.

I think 'to be honest' implies that you were not lying before but now you are going to say everything in an unrestrained manner. Not going to hold anything back. Or you are not saying the company line but stating your own thoughts.

yeah. "to be honest" is a setup for what's coming, an emphasis that you're being honest even if it's going to hurt their feelings.

It's a verbal crutch of some sort.

I used to have a friend that would start the most person, invasive questions with "If you don't mind my asking..." Followed by "how much do you make?" "what ever happened to your girlfriend?" etc

This is how I use it. I am not implying that anything I said before was anything less than the truth, just that this current statement might be painful.

I had a co-worker who would always say "I'll see if we can't get that done for you" to requests from clients. Drove me nuts.

"to be honest with you" is a major no-no at my company. If you are on a sales call with any managers and say it your are on the shtt list and will get called out by the VP. I used to use it but now never do after working it out of my vocabulary. Now when I hear it I cringe as well.

Its kind of like "new and improved"

I agree with your interpetation.

My ex-wife was the queen of mixed metaphors.

Her best was....

The one that gets me is "irregardless". It's not a word. "Regardless" is a word. "Irregardless" is a made-up meaningless bunch of foo.

It's also a double-negative and a good reason to slap the utterer silly with a wet kipper.

"This word... I do no think it means wha you think it means."

Fcuk you! Get fcuked!...........WTF?

"To be honest, I voted "O"."

I generally take it to be a shortened version of "to be BRUTALLY honest", in other words, "prepare yourself to hear some stuff that you're not going to like".

"The fact of the matter is..." makes me want to punch the person saying it.

Yes, you have to interject an adverb there, so it doesn't mean you weren't honest prior, but instead you're not sugar coating the honesty now.

Funny/ironic. There are a couple people I know who, when they start with the phrase "To be honest..." means it's time to get the waders out, because that's when their BS starts.

I guess it depends on the context.

I'd agree, if you are using it as a preface for something that is going to hurt someone's feelings, or similar, it's ok.

But that's not how most people use it. Most use it to preface the lie they are about to tell you.