so they say
According to rumor
So they say signals that the speaker is reporting what others claim without vouching for its truth.
It distances the speaker from the assertion, suggesting skepticism or simply acknowledging secondhand information: He's the best surgeon in the city, so they say.
The phrase often implies the speaker has doubts or wants to avoid responsibility for the claim's accuracy.
- reportedlyAccording to reports
- rumor has itUnverified talk suggests
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
- citedMentioned as evidence
- according toAs stated by
chatter · grapevine · allegedly · hearsay · supposedly · gossip · street talk · referenced · unverified · claimed · speculation · word-of-mouth · ostensibly · mentioned · stated · quoted · attributed · sourced
so they saywithout a doubt
With complete certainty
certainly · assuredly · indisputably · verifiably · demonstrably
they, say, saying, says, sayer, them, their, theirs, themselves