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Originally Posted by anotomac  What does the phrase "If you have to ask..." mean? It is usually used as a hanging sentence, I see it on TV shows all the time and I am not sure what is meant by it.
Does it mean if you have to ask, then the answer is not what you want to hear? Or does it mean if you have to ask, the answer is "no"?
Is there a more subtle meaning to it? |
I think 'if you have to ask' is different from 'if you must ask'. Here, the suggestion is that the other person is being 'intrusive' or prying.