God's honest truth

Posted by TheFallen on September 19, 2004

In Reply to: God's honest truth posted by ESC on September 19, 2004

: : : : Hi ther,
: : : : Does anyone use "God truth" as in "truth"?

: : : : ==It was like we became friends first, that's the honest to god truth"?

: : : : thank you

: : : The crucial phrase is, I think, 'Honest to God', rather than 'God truth'. It is reasonably common I think, and derives, presumably, from the speaker asking God to validate the truth of the statement - swearing an oath, if you like:

: : : 'That is the truth, honest to God,' might be another way of saying it.

: : : DFG

: : It would be clearer if the original author had punctuated it " that's the honest-to-god truth" ... the hyphens connecting the three words would show them as an adjective modifying "truth."

: That's the God's honest truth. If I'm lying, I'm flying. So help me Hannah. May lightning strike me dead.

..and hence the erstwhile Cockney but now predominantly Australian abbreviation "strewth", which is a member of the "cor blimey", "crikey", "bloody" and, more archaically, "zounds" and "gadzooks" euphemistic family.

• Strue Lotg 20/September/04
  • The Gospel Truth ESC 20/September/04