Thanks to FanArtist photographer for rippled water scene.

*Slang dictionary citation:

(if) truth is/be told

Truth be told is shortened from if truth be told or if the truth be told, evidenced in the written record since the late 16th century. We can find the truncated, and now more common, version since the 1800s. The expression preserves a subjunctive form of the verb to be, implying the speaker would, hypothetically, be more apt to tell the truth under different circumstances.

In the 19th century, truth be told spreads as a stock phrase, moving from more formal and literary uses into colloquial speech and writing, including online. Truth be told has inspired many titles in popular media, ranging from the 2003 album by alt-rockers Blues Traveler and a 2012 documentary about Jehovah Witnesses to a 2014 installment in the Jayne Ryland series and a short-lived sitcom on NBC in 2015.

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