say to (oneself)
say to (oneself)
1. To vocalize one's thoughts without addressing them to anyone in particular, especially in a lowered voice or in one's mind. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "say" and "to." "You can do this," I said to myself. "You've done it before and you can do it again." I could hear him saying things to himself as I came down the stairs.
2. To form or focus on some particular thought in one's mind. I keep saying to myself that I will start exercising more regularly, but I just keep letting the days slip by. He said to himself that he would never let himself get duped like that again.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
say something to someone
to tell something to someone. He didn't say anything to me. Did someone say something to you?
say something to something
to say yes or no to a proposal, request, etc. I hope you will say yes to my proposal. Nothing was said to your request at the last meeting.
say something to oneself
1. Lit. to mutter something to oneself so that no one else can hear. He said something to himself, but I didn't catch what it was. I said the answer to myself and no one else was supposed to hear it.
2. Fig. to think something to oneself. When I thought of him as a basketball player, I said to myself that he really isn't tall enough. I said a few choice critical remarks to myself when she presented her talk.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.