Whereas I've heard or seen the expression, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," why HAVEN'T I heard or seen, "If it sounds too awful to be true, it probably is?"
by 
Egao No Genki
ANSWERS: 2
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Unfortunately, nothing is too awful to be true.
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Too good to be true: The Oxford English Dictionary has found the phrase "too good to be true" from 1580. I don't know when it became, as you say, amended. News organizations, and the publicity departments of social service organizations, frequently warn the public about varieties of fraud, bad bargains, sharp practices, etc. Typically, they will conclude their message with the catch-all advice, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." Logically that should be "probably isn't" (i.e., it isn't true). However, the sense of the message gets across the way it is given. As the previous post noted, it's a redundant explanation, and the meaning is similar to caveat emptor. http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/53/messages/796.html Another View : Too awful to be true? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19950221/ai_n13967196 Juicy story proves too awful to be true http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-2154120_ITM
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