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Is say 'in my secret' correct usage?

So say, a person comes up to you and starts greeting you and what have you. And then you say something to yourself, like this for example:

1: Hey there, it's really nice to meet you. I'm honoured

2: Who the hell is this guy I said in my secret.

Or is it just I said in secret. Is it correct?

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    I said to myself... Or I muttered under my breath. Or. I thought to myself... Depends on whether you actually produce some sound or just think it.
    – Jim
    Commented Jul 5, 2016 at 5:19
  • 'I said to myself' or 'I thought'
    – Alan Carmack
    Commented Jul 10, 2016 at 1:40
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    In secret or secretly would be more grammatically correct; "in my secret" is wrong. But idiomatically, what you probably mean is "to myself", which is what we say to mean that you "said" something only for yourself, and not for others to hear.
    – stangdon
    Commented Jul 13, 2016 at 15:04

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The most common expression for this meaning is "I said to myself."

Alternatively, you could say "I said secretly," "I said secretly to myself," or "I said to myself in secret." However, these expressions would be much less common, and you should only use them if you want to emphasize how secret it is.

And as Jim and Alan said, you can also use "I thought to myself" if you did not actually say anything.

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