Let’s be real for a second. Everybody lies. Big lies, small lies, polite lies, panic lies, lies we tell other people, and lies we tell ourselves while staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. And because lying has been part of human behavior forever, language has gotten very, very good at calling it out.
That’s why English is packed with idioms about lying. Not just to describe dishonesty, but to judge it, soften it, joke about it, or warn people when something smells off. Some of these expressions are playful. Some are sharp. A few are downright savage. But every single one exists because people got tired of pretending nonsense was truth.
So if you’ve ever listened to someone talk and thought, “Yeah… that’s not adding up,” congratulations. These idioms were made for moments exactly like that.
1. Lying Through Your Teeth
This idiom doesn’t tiptoe. If someone is lying through their teeth, they’re not confused, mistaken, or stretching the truth. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re doing it boldly. This is the kind of lie delivered with confidence, eye contact, and zero shame. Almost impressive, in a twisted way.
What makes this idiom memorable is how physical it feels. You can picture someone smiling, talking smoothly, teeth on full display, while absolute nonsense pours out. It reminds us that confidence does not equal honesty. In fact, some of the biggest lies are delivered calmly and clearly, not nervously.
Meaning: To lie blatantly and deliberately.
Example: He said he’d never seen the money, but he was lying through his teeth.
Origin: Likely tied to the idea of speech coming directly from the mouth.
Synonyms: Flat-out lying, bald-faced lie.
How to Use: Use when the lie is obvious and intentional.
2. Pull the Wool Over Someone’s Eyes
This idiom is about deception with style. Pulling the wool over someone’s eyes means tricking them so smoothly they don’t realize what’s happening. It’s not loud or sloppy. It’s quiet manipulation. The victim walks away thinking everything’s fine, while the liar pockets the win.
This phrase hits because it reflects how lies often work in real life. Most people aren’t fooled by dramatic nonsense. They’re fooled by half-truths, charm, and just enough detail to sound legit.
Meaning: To deceive someone successfully.
Example: Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes, I’ve read the contract.
Origin: Possibly from old wigs or cloaks obscuring vision.
Synonyms: Fool, mislead, con.
How to Use: Use when someone is being subtly deceived.
3. A Pack of Lies
This idiom calls out quantity as much as quality. A pack of lies isn’t just one false statement. It’s layers of dishonesty stacked together, usually falling apart under light pressure. You hear it and immediately know someone’s scrambling.
It’s often used when stories don’t line up, details change, or explanations get weirdly complicated. Real truth tends to be simple. Lies multiply.
Meaning: A collection of lies.
Example: That excuse was a pack of lies from start to finish.
Origin: “Pack” meaning a bundled group.
Synonyms: Web of lies, nonsense.
How to Use: Use when dishonesty is obvious and excessive.
4. Tell Porkies
This one sounds funny, but it still stings. Telling porkies means lying, usually in a casual or playful way. It’s often used when the lie isn’t harmful, but still unnecessary.
The humor makes it socially safer to call someone out without starting a fight. British English loves this kind of gentle accusation.
Meaning: To tell lies.
Example: You’re telling porkies if you say you finished that already.
Origin: Cockney rhyming slang: pork pies = lies.
Synonyms: Fib, exaggerate.
How to Use: Use for light or obvious lies.
5. Bend the Truth
Now this is where people get uncomfortable. Bending the truth is what liars call honesty when they want to feel better about it. The facts aren’t totally false, but they’ve been twisted just enough to change the story.
This idiom matters because it reflects how most real-world lying happens. Not dramatic lies, but selective honesty.
Meaning: To distort facts slightly.
Example: He bent the truth to make himself look better.
Origin: Metaphorical distortion.
Synonyms: Stretch the truth.
How to Use: Use when facts are manipulated, not invented.
6. White Lie
The most socially accepted lie of all. A white lie is told to protect feelings, avoid conflict, or keep the peace. Everyone claims to hate lies, yet everyone uses these.
This idiom opens the moral gray area. Is kindness more important than honesty? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Context decides.
Meaning: A harmless or polite lie.
Example: I told a white lie about liking the gift.
Origin: White symbolizing purity or innocence.
Synonyms: Polite lie.
How to Use: Use for socially gentle dishonesty.
7. Blow Smoke
If someone is blowing smoke, they’re talking a lot while saying very little. This idiom fits sales pitches, fake confidence, and empty promises perfectly.
It’s not always a lie, but it’s never solid truth either.
Meaning: To deceive with talk.
Example: He was just blowing smoke about the promotion.
Origin: Smoke as obscuring vision.
Synonyms: Bluff, mislead.
How to Use: Use for vague or deceptive speech.
8. String Someone Along
This is lying with delay. Stringing someone along means keeping them hopeful without honest intention. It’s emotionally damaging because it feeds expectation while hiding reality.
This idiom shows how lies aren’t always spoken. Sometimes they’re implied.
Meaning: To deceive by giving false hope.
Example: They strung her along with promises.
Origin: Controlling movement with strings.
Synonyms: Mislead, toy with.
How to Use: Use for prolonged deception.
9. Make It Up as You Go
This idiom exposes improvisational lying. No plan, no script, just vibes. These lies usually collapse fast.
It’s chaos disguised as confidence.
Meaning: To invent lies on the spot.
Example: He was clearly making it up as he went.
Origin: Improvisation language.
Synonyms: Fabricate.
How to Use: Use when lies lack preparation.
10. Feed Someone a Line
This idiom paints lying as bait. You offer someone a story hoping they swallow it. It’s manipulative and intentional.
Once you hear it, you never unsee it.
Meaning: To deliberately deceive.
Example: Don’t feed me that line.
Origin: Fishing metaphor.
Synonyms: Lie, con.
How to Use: Use when rejecting a lie.
11. Spin a Yarn
This one’s charming but dangerous. Spinning a yarn is telling a story that drifts away from truth. Sometimes for fun. Sometimes not.
Storytelling becomes lying when facts vanish.
Meaning: To tell an exaggerated or false story.
Example: He spun a yarn about his past.
Origin: Weaving metaphor.
Synonyms: Fabricate.
How to Use: Use for entertaining but unreliable stories.
12. Tall Tale
Bigger than life, smaller than truth. Tall tales stretch reality so far it becomes fiction.
They’re lies, but everyone knows it.
Meaning: An exaggerated story.
Example: That sounds like a tall tale.
Origin: American folklore.
Synonyms: Exaggeration.
How to Use: Use for unbelievable claims.
13. Snow Someone
This idiom describes overwhelming someone with lies until they stop questioning. It’s persuasion through overload.
Modern? Absolutely.
Meaning: To deceive through confusion.
Example: He tried to snow us with numbers.
Origin: Snow as blinding.
Synonyms: Overwhelm, mislead.
How to Use: Use when confusion is intentional.
14. Cover Your Tracks
This is lying after the lie. Hiding evidence, adjusting stories, cleaning up mistakes.
It’s rarely successful long-term.
Meaning: To hide the truth.
Example: She tried to cover her tracks.
Origin: Tracking metaphor.
Synonyms: Conceal.
How to Use: Use for concealment efforts.
15. Fake It
Short, sharp, modern. Faking it means pretending something is true when it’s not. Confidence becomes camouflage.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it backfires.
Meaning: To pretend dishonestly.
Example: He faked confidence.
Origin: Modern slang.
Synonyms: Pretend.
How to Use: Use for surface-level deception.
16. Put on an Act
This idiom exposes performance-based lying. It’s not just words, it’s behavior.
Drama included.
Meaning: To behave dishonestly.
Example: Stop putting on an act.
Origin: Theater language.
Synonyms: Pretend.
How to Use: Use when behavior feels false.
17. Lie by Omission
The quietest lie of all. No false words, just missing ones. And often the most dangerous.
Silence can mislead just as much as speech.
Meaning: To deceive by leaving out facts.
Example: He lied by omission.
Origin: Legal language.
Synonyms: Withhold truth.
How to Use: Use when truth is intentionally incomplete.
Lies Age Poorly
Truth has patience. Lies don’t. These idioms exist because humans got really good at recognizing patterns of dishonesty — even when they couldn’t always prove it
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