a sigh for help
It's like when you're not actually dying, but you're wearing a shirt that looks like it was stolen from a landfill and you say you might quit your job.
She said, 'I might quit my job,' but she still showed up to work in a stained shirt.
He said he might leave the house, but he still took the trash out.
My brother said he might stop eating, but he still ate three pizzas.