proverb · Words worth keeping
"Hardly ever" saves many a lie.
"Hardly ever" saves many a lie.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A careful qualification such as hardly ever can prevent an exaggerated claim from becoming false. Use it when it accurately describes the exceptions, rather than as a convenient way to hide them.
Example
A volunteer describes a room as rarely unavailable and mentions the known closure date, rather than saying it is never unavailable or using a qualification to conceal the exception.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The phrase hardly ever allows for occurrences that never would deny. The proverb notices how a small change in wording can make an account more faithful to experience. It can encourage precision when someone is tempted to use an absolute for emphasis. The qualification does not automatically make a statement honest: a speaker could use it to minimise something frequent or important. The useful question is whether the words give a fair impression of the actual pattern. Relevant exceptions may still need explaining when another person depends on them, rather than being tucked away behind a reassuring general phrase.
When to use it
Use it to replace an inaccurate absolute with a truthful description of the pattern.
Keep in mind
A qualification should reflect reality; it must not minimise frequent events or hide important exceptions.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English