to say the least

[cheelv]

Hi all,

I'm uncertain with the meaning of the bold-phrase below:

"It's your brother's letter," I said.
"Yes, his last. I want you to keep it," she said.
"Why?" I said. It was a weird gift, to say the least.

Does it mean "the smallest gift" or?

Thanks for your help

 

[riquecohen]

Hi all,

I'm uncertain with the meaning of the bold-phrase below:

"It's your brother's letter," I said.
"Yes, his last. I want you to keep it," she said.
"Why?" I said. It was a weird gift, to say the least.

Does it mean "the smallest gift" or? No.

Thanks for your help

It means that the previous statement ("It was a weird gift") was put very mildly or understated. More could have been said about it, but wasn't.

 

[5jj]

Incidentally, 'to say the least' is not a phrasal verb.

 

[cheelv]

Thanks Mr.riquecohen That really helps.

 

[britintheUS]

It's almost as if someone is angry with you and they don't tell you why, because they don't want to be mean/rude. So someone might say " to say the least"... when they don't want to go into any more detail about the matter.

 

[Barb_D]

It's almost as if someone is angry with you and they don't tell you why, because they don't want to be mean/rude. So someone might say " to say the least"... when they don't want to go into any more detail about the matter.

??

That is not a familiar use for me. It confirms that the prior statement is an understatement.