American Idioms – Idiom Wizard Lists Over 5,500 Idioms & Slang Descriptions

Not altogether untrue

DEFINITION

True. Casual way of agreeing. Grammatically the phrase is a double-negative so ‘not’ and ‘untrue’ cancel out to become=true. The double negative modifies what otherwise might sound like a severe comment. (Compare to If it quacks like a duck or Manner of speaking.)

“To say my boss is self-centered is not altogether untrue.”

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