I realize that it's a common phrase, it couldn't be wrong, and I'm not saying it is. Yet I just can't help but wonder, is there a word left out? Could this phrase be re-written some other way?
Like saying:
As horrible as it sounds, their true intention was to steal from us!
Does it mean: It is as horrible as it sounds, their true intention…
Or: I'm saying this regardless of how horrible it may sound…
I googled it and looked up some dictionaries but couldn't find something that would help. Thank you in advance!
Best Answer
The meaning of the idiom can be used to say regardless of how horrible it may sound it's true, and it can also be used to say it wasn't so bad
It is usually used to speak about something bad, however, it can also be said sarcastically in a joking way for unbelievable good news
The construction is as something as it sounds
A similar idiom is: as something as it gets