- white lie
- ,white `lie noun counta lie told to avoid making someone upset, not for your own advantage or in order to harm someone else
Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.
white lie
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White lie — White White (hw[imac]t), a. [Compar. {Whiter} (hw[imac]t [ e]r); superl. {Whitest}.] [OE. whit, AS. hw[imac]t; akin to OFries. and OS. hw[=i]t, D. wit, G. weiss, OHG. w[=i]z, hw[=i]z, Icel. hv[=i]tr, Sw. hvit, Dan. hvid, Goth. hweits, Lith.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
White lie — Lie Lie (l[imac]), n. [AS. lyge; akin to D. leugen, OHG. lugi, G. l[ u]ge, lug, Icel. lygi, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]gn, Goth. liugn. See {Lie} to utter a falsehood.] 1. A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
white lie — If you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone s feelings … The small dictionary of idiomes
white lie — n informal a lie that you tell someone in order to protect them or avoid hurting their feelings … Dictionary of contemporary English
white lie — white′ lie′ n. a minor or harmless lie; fib … From formal English to slang
white lie — ► NOUN ▪ a harmless lie told to avoid hurting someone s feelings … English terms dictionary
white lie — n. a lie concerning a trivial matter, often one told to spare someone s feelings … English World dictionary
white lie — white lies N COUNT If you refer to an untrue statement as a white lie, you mean that it is made to avoid hurting someone s feelings or to avoid trouble, and not for an evil purpose … English dictionary
white lie — noun an unimportant lie (especially one told to be tactful or polite) • Hypernyms: ↑lie, ↑prevarication * * * a minor, polite, or harmless lie; fib. * * * white lie A minor falsehood, esp one uttered for reasons of tact, etc • • • Main Entry:… … Useful english dictionary
white lie — If you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone s feelings. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** If you tell a white lie, you say something which is not true in order to protect someone or to avoid hurting their feelings. … … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
