just for the record


Let's get things straight; also, let me make myself clear. For example, Just for the record, we never endorsed this idea, or Just for the record, I didn't vote for him. This usage employs record in the sense of “public knowledge.” [Mid-1900s] Also see go on record; set (the record) straight.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.