# "Honesty will out."  Huh?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-will-out-huh/68434>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 11, 2001, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-will-out-huh/68434 "2001-06-11T15:52:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-will-out-huh/68434/1 "2001-06-11T15:52:01Z")

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I have seen this used in a couple of novels lately. Did the author forget the word “win” or did someone in the past forget it and then the phrase just became tradional. What say ye phraseologists?

Thanks

Quasi

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-will-out-huh/68434/2 "2001-06-11T16:30:14Z")

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I’ve never heard that before. Perhaps it’s someone’s corruption of the common phrase **the truth will out**. _Out_ has been used as a verb meaning “to become known” since the Middle-English period.

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-will-out-huh/68434/3 "2001-06-11T18:27:09Z")

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I believe that is the answer I was looking for. Did not know that the word “out” could be taken in that context.

Quasi