Hey Berceles, how goes? Just substitute "obviously" for "needless to say" and you'll get the idea. needless to say = it's obvious and need not be expressed or repeated, but I'm going to say it anyway. I had a professor or two who hated that expression. "If it's needless to say, why say it?!" was their beef. I think they were a little harsh, though. The phrase is somewhat useful. BTW, nice use of "none the wiser"!

i dont't know