Sometimes, people don’t tell the truth. Instead of saying “they lied,” we often use special phrases to describe it. These phrases are called idioms. Idioms don’t always mean what the words say. They have a hidden meaning that people learn over time. Learning idioms can make talking and writing more fun.
In this article, we will look at idioms for lying. These are common expressions that people use when someone is not honest. You might hear them in movies, books, or even in school. When you know what these phrases mean, you can understand more of what people are saying. Let’s find out what these idioms really mean and how to use them.
Idioms for Lying
1. Bend the truth
Meaning: To say something that is not fully true
Give an Instance: She bent the truth about why she was late. / He bent the truth when he said he cleaned his room.
Substitute Meaning: Not telling the whole truth / Changing the story
2. White lie
Meaning: A small lie told to be nice or not hurt someone
Give an Instance: I told a white lie about liking the gift. / She gave a white lie to avoid hurting his feelings.
Substitute Meaning: Tiny lie / Nice lie
3. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To joke by lying in a funny way
Give an Instance: He said school was closed, but he was just pulling my leg. / Don’t worry, I was only pulling your leg!
Substitute Meaning: Joking lie / Playing around
4. Stretch the truth
Meaning: To make something sound bigger or different than it really is
Give an Instance: He stretched the truth about how many cookies he ate. / She stretched the truth in her story about the game.
Substitute Meaning: Exaggerate / Make it sound bigger
5. Cry wolf
Meaning: To lie so often that no one believes you anymore
Give an Instance: He cried wolf so much that no one believed him when he told the truth. / She cried wolf about being sick again.
Substitute Meaning: Lie too often / Trick too much
6. Full of hot air
Meaning: Someone who talks a lot but doesn’t tell the truth
Give an Instance: That kid is full of hot air about winning every game. / He’s always full of hot air about his grades.
Substitute Meaning: Big talker / Not truthful
7. Lie through one’s teeth
Meaning: To lie without feeling bad
Give an Instance: He lied through his teeth when he said he didn’t do it. / She lied through her teeth about the missing markers.
Substitute Meaning: Big lie / Not honest at all
8. Pull a fast one
Meaning: To trick someone by lying
Give an Instance: He pulled a fast one on the teacher with a fake note. / She pulled a fast one to get out of gym class.
Substitute Meaning: Trick someone / Fool someone
9. Tall tale
Meaning: A made-up story that is hard to believe
Give an Instance: He told a tall tale about flying on a dragon. / That story about the dog cooking dinner was a tall tale.
Substitute Meaning: Fake story / Silly lie
10. Bluffing
Meaning: Pretending something is true to trick others
Give an Instance: He was bluffing about knowing the answer. / She bluffed her way through the card game.
Substitute Meaning: Faking it / Pretending
11. Cook the books
Meaning: To lie about numbers or money
Give an Instance: The store owner cooked the books to hide his mistake. / They got in trouble for cooking the books.
Substitute Meaning: Fake records / Change the truth
12. Fake it
Meaning: Pretend something is true when it’s not
Give an Instance: He faked it by smiling even though he was sad. / She faked it when she said she knew the dance.
Substitute Meaning: Pretend / Act like it’s true
13. Make up a story
Meaning: To create a fake story
Give an Instance: He made up a story about why he was late. / She made up a story about seeing a bear.
Substitute Meaning: Invent a lie / Tell something false
14. Not telling the whole story
Meaning: Leaving out important parts to hide the truth
Give an Instance: He didn’t lie, but he wasn’t telling the whole story. / She only told part of it to stay out of trouble.
Substitute Meaning: Hiding facts / Half-truth
15. Blow smoke
Meaning: To say something confusing to hide the truth
Give an Instance: He was just blowing smoke when he talked about his grades. / She blew smoke to avoid answering.
Substitute Meaning: Talk nonsense / Try to fool
16. Double talk
Meaning: Saying confusing things on purpose
Give an Instance: The student used double talk to trick the teacher. / That answer was just double talk.
Substitute Meaning: Trick words / Not clear
17. Cover up
Meaning: To hide the truth
Give an Instance: He tried to cover up the broken window. / She covered up her mistake with a lie.
Substitute Meaning: Hide the truth / Keep it secret
18. Talk out of both sides of the mouth
Meaning: Say different things to different people
Give an Instance: He said one thing to me and something else to her. He talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Substitute Meaning: Say two things / Be dishonest
19. Under false pretenses
Meaning: Lying to get something
Give an Instance: He joined the club under false pretenses. / She got the prize by lying.
Substitute Meaning: Get by lying / Trick to get
20. Fishy story
Meaning: A story that sounds like a lie
Give an Instance: That story about the dog driving the car sounds fishy. / It was a fishy story about the lost homework.
Substitute Meaning: Hard to believe / Sounds fake
21. Smoke and mirrors
Meaning: Tricks used to hide the truth
Give an Instance: His excuse was just smoke and mirrors. / That plan was all smoke and mirrors with no real answers.
Substitute Meaning: Trickery / Hiding the truth
22. Lead someone on
Meaning: Make someone believe something false
Give an Instance: He led her on by saying he would help but didn’t. / She led me on with her fake promise.
Substitute Meaning: Trick someone / Give false hope
23. Talk a good game
Meaning: Sound honest but not be truthful
Give an Instance: He talks a good game, but never does the work. / She talked a good game about her talent.
Substitute Meaning: Sound smart / Act like you know
24. Two-faced
Meaning: Pretending to be nice but acting mean
Give an Instance: She’s nice to you but mean behind your back two-faced. / Don’t trust him, he’s two-faced.
Substitute Meaning: Fake friend / Not honest
25. Snow job
Meaning: A fancy lie to make someone believe you
Give an Instance: That excuse was a snow job. / He gave the teacher a snow job to avoid detention.
Substitute Meaning: Smooth lie / Fancy excuse
26. Say one thing, do another
Meaning: Not doing what you said you would
Give an Instance: He said he’d help but didn’t said one thing, did another. / She promised to play fair but cheated.
Substitute Meaning: Not honest / Break a promise
27. Hidden agenda
Meaning: A secret reason for doing something
Give an Instance: He helped with a hidden agenda. / She was nice but had a hidden plan.
Substitute Meaning: Secret plan / Not telling the truth
28. Shady
Meaning: Not honest or suspicious
Give an Instance: That deal sounds shady. / He gave a shady answer about the missing snacks.
Substitute Meaning: Sneaky / Suspicious
29. Say anything to win
Meaning: Lie just to get your way
Give an Instance: He’d say anything to win the class vote. / She said anything to get her turn first.
Substitute Meaning: Lie to win / Say untrue things
30. Lie by omission
Meaning: Leave out part of the truth
Give an Instance: He didn’t mention he broke it that’s lying by omission. / She left out the real reason.
Substitute Meaning: Hiding facts / Not telling all
31. Playing both sides
Meaning: Pretend to agree with everyone
Give an Instance: He’s playing both sides he told me and her something different. / She plays both sides to stay out of trouble.
Substitute Meaning: Pretend with everyone / Not true to anyone
32. Fibs
Meaning: Small lies
Give an Instance: He told a few fibs about doing his homework. / Don’t tell fibs about your chores.
Substitute Meaning: Little lies / Not big lies
33. Say one thing, mean another
Meaning: Speak words that don’t show true feelings
Give an Instance: He said he was fine, but looked sad. / She said it didn’t hurt, but it did.
Substitute Meaning: Not truthful / Hide feelings
34. Twist the facts
Meaning: Change the truth to fit your story
Give an Instance: He twisted the facts to stay out of trouble. / She twisted the story to sound better.
Substitute Meaning: Change the truth / Make it sound different
35. Talk nonsense
Meaning: Say things that don’t make sense or aren’t true
Give an Instance: That’s just nonsense dogs can’t fly. / He talked nonsense about winning without trying.
Substitute Meaning: Silly talk / Lies
36. Bluff your way through
Meaning: Pretend to know or do something
Give an Instance: He bluffed his way through the game. / She bluffed about knowing the rules.
Substitute Meaning: Fake it / Pretend
37. Put on an act
Meaning: Pretend to feel something you don’t
Give an Instance: She put on an act like she was sad. / He acted scared, but he wasn’t.
Substitute Meaning: Fake feelings / Not real
38. Fake smile
Meaning: Smile when you’re not really happy
Give an Instance: He gave a fake smile after losing. / Her smile didn’t look real.
Substitute Meaning: Pretend smile / Not true
39. Not add up
Meaning: Something sounds wrong or untrue
Give an Instance: His story doesn’t add up. / What she said just doesn’t make sense.
Substitute Meaning: Doesn’t sound right / Might be a lie
40. Play pretend
Meaning: Act like something is real when it isn’t
Give an Instance: They played pretend with magic powers. / He played pretend to skip chores.
Substitute Meaning: Act / Make-believe
41. Fake story
Meaning: A story that is not real
Give an Instance: He told a fake story about seeing a ghost. / That was just a fake story to get attention.
Substitute Meaning: Made-up tale / Not true
42. Talk in circles
Meaning: Speak without giving a real answer
Give an Instance: He talked in circles about why he was late. / She never gave a straight answer.
Substitute Meaning: Avoiding the truth / Not clear
43. Not pass the smell test
Meaning: Something doesn’t seem right
Give an Instance: His excuse didn’t pass the smell test. / That plan seems fishy.
Substitute Meaning: Seems off / Feels like a lie
44. Cover story
Meaning: A fake story to hide the real one
Give an Instance: He made up a cover story to explain the mess. / She had a cover story for not doing homework.
Substitute Meaning: Fake reason / False story
45. Pretend not to know
Meaning: Act like you don’t know the truth
Give an Instance: He pretended not to know who did it. / She acted like she had no idea.
Substitute Meaning: Fake surprise / Hide the truth
Find the “Idioms for Lying”
Reading Passage:
Last Friday, Ms. Carter’s class had a surprise math quiz. When Jason saw his low score, he made up a story about being sick the night before. He said he had a headache, but everyone knew he was faking it. Maya, sitting nearby, whispered that Jason was just bending the truth.
At recess, Mia told a tall tale about her dog winning a race against a horse. The kids laughed because they knew it was just her way of pulling their legs. Later, Ben got caught bluffing about finishing his science project. He had no idea how to even start it!
That afternoon, someone knocked over a paint bucket in the art room. Ava blamed the wind, but the story didn’t pass the smell test. Ms. Carter gave her a look and said, “Are you sure you’re not twisting the facts?”
Back in class, Leo was full of hot air again, bragging about how he beat a video game in one try. Sam leaned over and said, “He talks a good game, but I’ve seen him lose three times.”
At the end of the day, Ms. Carter smiled and said, “Some of you might want to stop covering up and start owning up!”
Directions:
Read the story again. Underline or list all the idioms for lying that you found in the passage.
Answer Key
- Made up a story
- Faking it
- Bending the truth
- Tall tale
- Pulling their legs
- Bluffing
- Didn’t pass the smell tes
- Twisting the facts
- Full of hot air
- Talks a good game
- Covering up
Conclusion
Idioms for lying are phrases people use when someone is not telling the truth. These expressions help us say things in a more colorful and simple way. They don’t always mean exactly what the words say, but when you learn them, they are easy to understand.
By using idioms like “bend the truth” or “pull someone’s leg,” you can describe lies without saying the word “lie” every time. These idioms are useful in stories, talks, or writing. Now that you know some of them, try listening for them in everyday life or using them in your own sentences.
