People sometimes say things that are not true. Instead of just saying “He lied,” people often use special phrases to describe lying. These phrases are called metaphors. They don’t mean exactly what the words say, but they give us a picture in our mind to help us understand.
For example, someone might say, “He has a forked tongue” or “She’s bending the truth.” These phrases make talking and writing more fun and colorful. In this article, we will learn about different ways people talk about lying without saying the word “lie.” You’ll find out what these sayings mean and how to use them in real life. Let’s get started and discover these clever expressions.
Metaphors for Lying
1. A forked tongue
Meaning: Someone who lies or says mean things
Give an Instance: He promised to help but did the opposite he spoke with a forked tongue. / She told her friend one thing and another behind her back.
Substitute Meaning: Says one thing but means another / Talks dishonestly
2. Smoke and mirrors
Meaning: Something that hides the truth
Give an Instance: His excuse was just smoke and mirrors. / The company’s ad was full of smoke and mirrors.
Substitute Meaning: Hiding the real story / Covering up the truth
3. Pulling the wool over someone’s eyes
Meaning: Fooling someone
Give an Instance: He pulled the wool over her eyes to take the last cookie. / Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes about the broken window.
Substitute Meaning: Trick someone / Hide the truth from someone
4. A web of lies
Meaning: Many connected lies
Give an Instance: She told a web of lies about where she went. / He spun a web of lies to avoid getting in trouble.
Substitute Meaning: Tangle of untrue stories / Lots of lies
5. Stretching the truth
Meaning: Changing facts a little
Give an Instance: He was stretching the truth when he said he ran five miles. / She stretched the truth about cleaning her room.
Substitute Meaning: Not quite honest / Making something sound bigger or better
6. A tall tale
Meaning: A big lie that’s hard to believe
Give an Instance: Saying he saw a dinosaur in the park is a tall tale. / Her story about flying was a tall tale.
Substitute Meaning: A made-up story / Not true at all
7. White lie
Meaning: A small lie meant to be kind
Give an Instance: She told a white lie to not hurt her friend’s feelings. / Saying he liked the food was just a white lie.
Substitute Meaning: Soft lie / Harmless untruth
8. Full of hot air
Meaning: Saying things that are not true or meaningful
Give an Instance: He was full of hot air about being a basketball star. / Don’t listen to him he’s full of hot air.
Substitute Meaning: Making things up / Talking nonsense
9. Playing fast and loose with the truth
Meaning: Not being careful about honesty
Give an Instance: She played fast and loose with the truth about her grades. / He wasn’t honest he played fast and loose with the truth.
Substitute Meaning: Messing with facts / Not truthful
10. Two-faced
Meaning: Saying different things to different people
Give an Instance: She was two-faced nice to me but mean to others. / Don’t trust someone who is two-faced.
Substitute Meaning: Fake / Not loyal
11. Sugar-coating the truth
Meaning: Making something bad sound better
Give an Instance: He sugar-coated the truth about getting a bad grade. / She sugar-coated what really happened.
Substitute Meaning: Hiding the bad parts / Making it sound nicer
12. A house of cards
Meaning: Lies that will fall apart easily
Give an Instance: His story was a house of cards it didn’t hold up. / One question and her house of cards came crashing down.
Substitute Meaning: Weak story / Lies that won’t last
13. Talking out of both sides of the mouth
Meaning: Saying different things to different people
Give an Instance: He talked out of both sides of his mouth about who broke the vase. / She told two stories talking out of both sides.
Substitute Meaning: Being fake / Changing stories
14. A cover-up
Meaning: Trying to hide the truth
Give an Instance: The missing homework was a cover-up. / They made a cover-up story to stay out of trouble.
Substitute Meaning: Hide the facts / Keep something secret
15. Feeding someone a line
Meaning: Telling someone a lie to trick them
Give an Instance: He fed me a line about why he was late. / Don’t believe her she’s feeding you a line.
Substitute Meaning: Telling a lie / Making something up
16. Hiding behind a mask
Meaning: Pretending to be something you’re not
Give an Instance: He was hiding behind a mask when he said he was happy. / She acted kind but was hiding behind a mask.
Substitute Meaning: Fake face / Pretending
17. Playing pretend
Meaning: Acting like something is true when it isn’t
Give an Instance: He was playing pretend about finishing his homework. / She played pretend that everything was okay.
Substitute Meaning: Not real / Faking it
18. A broken mirror
Meaning: A story that doesn’t reflect the truth
Give an Instance: Her excuse was like a broken mirror it didn’t show the real picture. / His words were like a broken mirror.
Substitute Meaning: Wrong version / Twisted story
19. Building castles in the air
Meaning: Making up big, untrue ideas
Give an Instance: He said he would be famous soon, but it was a castle in the air. / Her plan was just building castles in the air.
Substitute Meaning: Unreal dreams / Made-up story
20. A chameleon’s talk
Meaning: Changing stories to fit the person
Give an Instance: He used chameleon talk to please everyone. / Her chameleon story kept changing.
Substitute Meaning: Ever-changing / Not trustworthy
21. Painting over the cracks
Meaning: Hiding problems or lies
Give an Instance: She painted over the cracks in her story. / His excuse painted over the real issue.
Substitute Meaning: Covering up / Not showing the truth
22. A curtain of lies
Meaning: Lies that hide what’s really happening
Give an Instance: His actions were behind a curtain of lies. / They used a curtain of lies to fool everyone.
Substitute Meaning: Covered truth / Blocked facts
23. A puppet show
Meaning: Something fake being acted out
Give an Instance: His story was just a puppet show. / Don’t believe the puppet show she put on.
Substitute Meaning: False act / Pretend show
24. Wearing a disguise
Meaning: Hiding the truth on purpose
Give an Instance: He wore a disguise to hide his real feelings. / Her words were a disguise for the lie.
Substitute Meaning: Covered truth / Pretending
25. Covering in glitter
Meaning: Making something bad look nice
Give an Instance: She covered her mistake in glitter. / The lie was glittery but still false.
Substitute Meaning: Fancy lie / Hiding the bad
26. A magic trick
Meaning: Making something false look real
Give an Instance: His story was a magic trick. / She fooled us with a magic trick of words.
Substitute Meaning: Hidden truth / Made-up show
27. Masking the truth
Meaning: Not showing what’s really true
Give an Instance: She masked the truth about the missing snacks. / He masked the truth with jokes.
Substitute Meaning: Covered truth / Not honest
28. A twisted tale
Meaning: A lie that’s mixed up and tricky
Give an Instance: His story was a twisted tale. / The lie became a twisted tale over time.
Substitute Meaning: Complicated lie / Not clear
29. A shadow story
Meaning: A story that hides from the light of truth
Give an Instance: What he said was a shadow story. / She gave us a shadow version of what happened.
Substitute Meaning: Dark lie / Hidden truth
30. Selling snake oil
Meaning: Lying to get something
Give an Instance: He was selling snake oil with that story. / Her words were like snake oil slick but false.
Substitute Meaning: Fooling others / Dishonest gain
31. Telling bedtime stories
Meaning: Saying something that’s not true but sounds nice
Give an Instance: He was just telling bedtime stories about his summer. / Her reason for being late was a bedtime story.
Substitute Meaning: Made-up tale / Pleasant lie
32. A foggy mirror
Meaning: A story that isn’t clear or honest
Give an Instance: His answer was like a foggy mirror. / What she said was fogged with confusion.
Substitute Meaning: Blurry truth / Not clear
33. Dancing around the truth
Meaning: Avoiding the real answer
Give an Instance: He danced around the truth when asked about the test. / She kept dancing around the truth.
Substitute Meaning: Not being direct / Hiding facts
34. Putting on a play
Meaning: Acting out something false
Give an Instance: That apology was just a play. / He put on a play to hide what he did.
Substitute Meaning: Pretending / Acting fake
35. Wearing truth-colored glasses
Meaning: Pretending something is honest when it’s not
Give an Instance: He wore truth-colored glasses when lying to his parents. / Her story had truth-colored glasses on.
Substitute Meaning: Fake truth / Covered lie
36. Changing the channel
Meaning: Switching the story to avoid the truth
Give an Instance: He changed the channel when I asked again. / She always changes the channel when in trouble.
Substitute Meaning: Avoiding truth / Dodging the question
37. Playing hide-and-seek with facts
Meaning: Keeping the truth hidden
Give an Instance: Her story played hide-and-seek with the truth. / He played hide-and-seek with facts all day.
Substitute Meaning: Hiding information / Sneaky
38. Turning words into smoke
Meaning: Making truth disappear
Give an Instance: His words turned into smoke when we asked more. / Her excuse was all smoke.
Substitute Meaning: False speech / Vanishing truth
39. Painting lies on canvas
Meaning: Creating a detailed false story
Give an Instance: He painted lies on canvas with every word. / Her whole story was like a painted picture beautiful but false.
Substitute Meaning: Detailed lie / Big pretend
40. Filling balloons with fiction
Meaning: Making stories sound bigger and false
Give an Instance: She filled the air with fiction balloons. / His tale was like a balloon filled with stories.
Substitute Meaning: Exaggerated lie / Blown up story
41. Setting up a funhouse
Meaning: Everything seems strange and false
Give an Instance: His story was like a funhouse nothing looked real. / Her version was a funhouse of confusion.
Substitute Meaning: Mixed-up story / Weird lies
42. Putting makeup on the truth
Meaning: Hiding flaws in the story
Give an Instance: She put makeup on the truth to make it look good. / He covered up the truth with fancy talk.
Substitute Meaning: Fancy cover / Dressed-up lie
43. Creating a maze of words
Meaning: Making it hard to find the truth
Give an Instance: His story was a maze of words. / I got lost in her maze of lies.
Substitute Meaning: Confusing lie / Lost in details
44. Shifting sand
Meaning: Not steady or true
Give an Instance: His story kept changing like walking on shifting sand. / She stood on shifting sand with that excuse.
Substitute Meaning: Unstable lie / Can’t trust it
45. Fogging up the facts
Meaning: Making it hard to see what’s true
Give an Instance: She fogged up the facts with extra talk. / The truth was foggy after he explained.
Substitute Meaning: Hiding truth / Blurry story
Find the Metaphors for Lying
Reading Passage:
It was the day of the student council election at Oak Hill Elementary. Everyone was excited. Posters were up, speeches were ready, and students buzzed about who might win.
During lunch, Emma told Lily, “Jake promised he’d vote for me, but now he says the same to Ava. I think he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth.” Lily frowned, “That sounds like a forked tongue to me.”
Later, Jake gave a speech full of big promises. “He’s full of hot air,” whispered Ben. “He’s painting lies on canvas with every word.” Ms. Turner, their teacher, raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t fooled by the curtain of lies.
After the speeches, Ava told her friends, “I caught Emma feeding me a line about what Jake said. It was just sugar-coated.” Meanwhile, Jake kept smiling. But his stories? They were like a house of cards.
Lily shook her head. “I don’t like this puppet show. Everyone’s wearing a disguise and dancing around the truth.” Ben added, “It’s like playing hide-and-seek with the facts.”
That afternoon, students voted. They had to look past the glitter and fog to find who they could really trust.
Instructions for Students:
Read the passage again. Underline or list all the metaphors for lying that you find.
Answer Key
- Talking out of both sides of the mouth
- Forked tongue
- Full of hot air
- Painting lies on canvas
- Curtain of lies
- Feeding me a line
- Sugar-coated
- House of cards
- Puppet show
- Wearing a disguise
- Dancing around the truth
- Playing hide-and-seek with the facts
Conclusion
People sometimes use colorful phrases to talk about lies. These are called metaphors. They help us understand when someone is not being honest, without using plain words.
When you hear someone say things like “pulling the wool over your eyes” or “painting lies on canvas,” they don’t mean real wool or paint. They’re just using a fun way to say someone is hiding the truth. These phrases make speaking and writing more interesting. Now that you know these metaphors, you’ll be better at spotting tricky talk.
