Classic Words: To Be Frank

Classic Words: To Be Frank

To be frank…
It’s a phrase we use instinctively.
Usually right before honesty.
Sometimes right before bluntness.
Occasionally right before saying the thing we’ve been rehearsing in our head.

But who is Frank?

And why did we decide this phrase as the doorway to truth?

Today, to be frank means:
I’m going to be honest.
Direct.
Clear.
No dancing around it.

It’s often used as a soft warning.
A way to brace the listener before clarity lands.
A verbal pause that says, I’m about to drop the filter.

But... Frank was never a person. (What!?!)

The word traces back to the Franks, a group of Germanic people whose name became associated with freedom.

To be frank originally meant:

• free
• open
• unrestrained
• plainspoken

Over time, that idea of freedom shifted from describing people to describing speech. Frank speech was free speech — words spoken without disguise, ornament, or obligation.

So when we say to be frank, we’re really saying:

I’m choosing openness.
I’m setting aside pretense.
I’m speaking freely.

Why has stuck?

Because honesty has always been complicated.
People want truth, but not always the impact of it.
They want clarity, but not cruelty.
They want openness, but still need safety.

To be frank became a bridge.

It allowed people to signal intent before delivery.
A way to say, this isn’t meant to wound — it’s meant to be clear.

How it’s used (and misused)
Sometimes to be frank is generosity.
Sometimes it’s protection.
And sometimes it’s a shield people hide behind when they want permission to be sharp.

True honesty doesn’t always need an introduction.
But people often do.

The phrase itself isn’t the problem.
Intent is.

Why does this phrase still matter?

At its core, to be frank reminds us that honesty once meant freedom: not dominance.

Not winning.
Not overpowering.

Just openness.
And maybe that’s worth remembering the next time we use it.
Or the next time we hear it used on us.

Words carry history.
But they also carry choice.

How we use them, and how we receive them.
That is where the real power lives.