Idioms are vibrant, expressive phrases that add spice and flair to our language, often conveying meanings far beyond the literal words. They’re like little linguistic treasures that make conversations more engaging and nuanced. When it comes to lying, idioms provide a creative way to describe deception, half-truths, or outright fabrications, offering colorful ways to express dishonesty without being too blunt. These phrases are widely used in everyday conversations, from casual chats with friends to storytelling in books or movies. For anyone looking to enrich their vocabulary or better understand the art of deception in language, this list of idioms for lying is a goldmine. Each idiom comes with its meaning, a lengthy example sentence to show it in action, and alternative ways to express the same idea. Plus, we’ve included a fun exercise to help you practice and a conclusion to wrap it all up. Let’s dive into the sneaky, slippery world of idioms for lying!
Idioms for Lying
1. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
Meaning: To deceive or trick someone into believing something false.
In a Sentence: When Jake told his parents he’d been studying all night for his history exam, he was really trying to pull the wool over their eyes, as he’d spent most of the evening playing video games with his friends.
Other Ways to Say: Trick someone, Fool someone
2. Spin a yarn
Meaning: To tell a long, exaggerated, or fabricated story.
In a Sentence: At the campfire, Sarah spun a yarn about how she single-handedly chased off a bear during her hike, but everyone knew it was just a tall tale to impress the group.
Other Ways to Say: Tell a tall tale, Make up a story
3. Bend the truth
Meaning: To distort or slightly alter the truth.
In a Sentence: When asked why she missed the deadline for the group project, Lisa bent the truth by claiming her computer crashed, conveniently leaving out that she’d procrastinated for days.
Other Ways to Say: Stretch the truth, Twist the facts
4. Tell a white lie
Meaning: To tell a harmless or small lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.
In a Sentence: When her friend asked if she liked her new haircut, Emily told a white lie by saying it looked amazing, even though she thought it was a bit too short and uneven.
Other Ways to Say: Fib gently, Tell a little lie
5. Cook the books
Meaning: To falsify financial records or accounts.
In a Sentence: The shady accountant was caught cooking the books to make the company’s profits look much higher than they actually were, hoping to impress the investors.
Other Ways to Say: Fudge the numbers, Manipulate the accounts
6. Lead someone up the garden path
Meaning: To mislead or deceive someone gradually.
In a Sentence: The salesman led the elderly couple up the garden path by promising them a dream vacation package, only for them to discover later that the deal was riddled with hidden fees.
Other Ways to Say: String someone along, Mislead
7. Lie through your teeth
Meaning: To tell a blatant or obvious lie.
In a Sentence: Even though the chocolate stains were all over his shirt, Tim lied through his teeth to his mom, swearing he hadn’t touched the dessert she’d made for the party.
Other Ways to Say: Lie boldly, Make it up
8. Fib like a rug
Meaning: To lie frequently or convincingly (a play on “lie” sounding like “lay”).
In a Sentence: When confronted about skipping class, Mia fibbed like a rug, claiming she had a doctor’s appointment, a flat tire, and a family emergency all in the same morning.
Other Ways to Say: Lie constantly, Tell tall tales
9. Make it up as you go along
Meaning: To improvise a story or explanation, often with little truth.
In a Sentence: When the teacher asked why his homework wasn’t done, Alex started making it up as he went along, weaving a wild story about his dog eating it and a sudden power outage.
Other Ways to Say: Wing it, Invent on the spot
10. Tell a tall tale
Meaning: To tell an exaggerated or unbelievable story.
In a Sentence: Grandpa entertained the kids by telling a tall tale about how he once wrestled a giant octopus while fishing off the coast, which they loved even if they didn’t believe it.
Other Ways to Say: Spin a yarn, Exaggerate wildly
11. Have a poker face
Meaning: To hide your true feelings or intentions, often when lying.
In a Sentence: Even though she knew she’d forgotten to plan the surprise party, Jenna kept a poker face and assured her friends everything was under control.
Other Ways to Say: Keep a straight face, Hide your emotions
12. Cross your fingers behind your back
Meaning: To secretly wish for luck while saying something untrue.
In a Sentence: While assuringsome text missing here, likely “promising her team they’d win the championship,” Sophie crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping her little fib wouldn’t jinx their chances.
Other Ways to Say: Wish secretly, Hope it works out
13. Talk through your hat
Meaning: To speak nonsense or make things up.
In a Sentence: When Mike claimed he’d met a famous celebrity at the mall, everyone knew he was just talking through his hat to get attention at the school cafeteria.
Other Ways to Say: Make it up, Talk nonsense
14. Blow smoke
Meaning: To exaggerate or lie to impress or deceive.
In a Sentence: The politician was blowing smoke when he promised to solve all the city’s problems overnight, knowing full well it was an unrealistic campaign pledge.
Other Ways to Say: Exaggerate, Talk big
15. Put one over on someone
Meaning: To successfully deceive or trick someone.
In a Sentence: By pretending he’d lost his wallet, Tom managed to put one over on his friends, getting them to pay for his movie ticket without them suspecting a thing.
Other Ways to Say: Fool someone, Trick someone
16. String someone along
Meaning: To deceive someone by keeping them hopeful or interested.
In a Sentence: The shady contractor strung the homeowners along, promising the renovations would be done in a week, while secretly delaying to charge them for extra hours.
Other Ways to Say: Lead on, Keep in the dark
17. Take someone for a ride
Meaning: To deceive or exploit someone.
In a Sentence: The scam artist took the naive tourist for a ride, convincing her to buy a fake designer watch for hundreds of dollars on the bustling city street.
Other Ways to Say: Con someone, Rip someone off
18. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm repeatedly, causing disbelief.
In a Sentence: Jake cried wolf so many times about being sick to skip school that when he was actually ill, his parents didn’t believe him and sent him to class anyway.
Other Ways to Say: Sound a false alarm, Exaggerate danger
19. Tell it like it isn’t
Meaning: To lie or distort the truth.
In a Sentence: When asked about the broken vase, Lily told it like it wasn’t, claiming the cat knocked it over, even though she’d accidentally bumped it while dancing.
Other Ways to Say: Twist the truth, Lie outright
20. Give someone the runaround
Meaning: To avoid giving a direct answer or solution, often deceptively.
In a Sentence: The customer service representative gave Maria the runaround, transferring her call between departments without ever addressing her issue with the faulty product.
Other Ways to Say: Avoid the issue, Dodge the question
21. Beat around the bush
Meaning: To avoid saying something directly, often to hide the truth.
In a Sentence: Instead of admitting he’d forgotten about the group project, Sam beat around the bush, talking vaguely about being busy with other school assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Be indirect, Skirt the truth
22. Pull a fast one
Meaning: To trick or deceive someone quickly.
In a Sentence: By swapping the price tags on the clearance items, the sneaky shopper tried to pull a fast one at the checkout counter to get a better deal.
Other Ways to Say: Trick someone, Sneak one by
23. Play fast and loose
Meaning: To act recklessly or dishonestly with the truth.
In a Sentence: The used car salesman played fast and loose with the facts, claiming the vehicle had never been in an accident despite knowing about its fender-bender history.
Other Ways to Say: Be careless with the truth, Twist facts
24. Lie like a politician
Meaning: To lie convincingly or habitually (often used humorously).
In a Sentence: When asked where he’d been all night, Chris lied like a politician, spinning a flawless story about helping a friend with a flat tire that nobody questioned.
Other Ways to Say: Lie smoothly, Deceive confidently
25. Fudge the facts
Meaning: To alter or manipulate the truth slightly.
In a Sentence: To avoid getting in trouble, Emma fudged the facts about how late she stayed out, saying she was home by midnight when it was closer to 2 a.m.
Other Ways to Say: Bend the truth, Tweak the details
26. Gloss over
Meaning: To downplay or hide something, often by lying.
In a Sentence: In her presentation, Rachel glossed over the budget overspend, focusing instead on the project’s minor successes to avoid her boss’s disapproval.
Other Ways to Say: Skim over, Brush aside
27. Keep someone in the dark
Meaning: To withhold the truth from someone.
In a Sentence: The team kept their coach in the dark about their plan to prank the rival team, knowing he’d never approve of their mischievous antics.
Other Ways to Say: Hide the truth, Keep it secret
28. Tell a whopper
Meaning: To tell a big, obvious lie.
In a Sentence: When asked why he missed practice, Ben told a whopper about being stuck in a freak snowstorm, even though it was a sunny spring day.
Other Ways to Say: Tell a big lie, Exaggerate wildly
29. Sweep under the rug
Meaning: To hide or ignore something, often dishonestly.
In a Sentence: The company tried to sweep their environmental violations under the rug, hoping the public wouldn’t notice their illegal waste disposal practices.
Other Ways to Say: Cover up, Ignore the issue
30. Blow hot air
Meaning: To make empty or exaggerated claims.
In a Sentence: The startup founder was blowing hot air when he boasted about securing a million-dollar deal, as no such contract ever existed.
Other Ways to Say: Talk big, Exaggerate
31. Lie low
Meaning: To stay out of sight to avoid suspicion or trouble, often after lying.
In a Sentence: After lying about his involvement in the prank, Ethan decided to lie low for a few days until the principal stopped asking questions.
Other Ways to Say: Keep a low profile, Stay out of sight
32. Pass the buck
Meaning: To shift blame or responsibility to someone else, often dishonestly.
In a Sentence: When the project failed, the manager passed the buck to her assistant, claiming he hadn’t followed her instructions, even though she’d given vague directions.
Other Ways to Say: Shift the blame, Dodge responsibility
33. Cover your tracks
Meaning: To hide evidence of wrongdoing or lies.
In a Sentence: After sneaking cookies from the jar, Mia carefully covered her tracks by wiping the crumbs off the counter and sealing the lid tightly.
Other Ways to Say: Hide evidence, Cover up
34. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To tease or lie to someone for fun.
In a Sentence: When Mark told his little brother that aliens had landed in their backyard, he was just pulling his leg to see his shocked reaction.
Other Ways to Say: Tease someone, Joke around
35. Lay it on thick
Meaning: To exaggerate or overstate something, often deceptively.
In a Sentence: To get out of trouble, Sarah laid it on thick, telling her teacher an elaborate story about her grandmother’s sudden illness to explain her tardiness.
Other Ways to Say: Overdo it, Exaggerate heavily
36. Spill the beans
Meaning: To accidentally reveal a secret or truth, undermining a lie.
In a Sentence: While trying to keep the surprise party a secret, Lucy spilled the beans by mentioning the decorations in front of the birthday girl.
Other Ways to Say: Let the secret out, Give it away
37. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret or lie unintentionally.
In a Sentence: By mentioning the new car in the garage, Dad let the cat out of the bag about Mom’s birthday gift before she could see it herself.
Other Ways to Say: Spill the beans, Reveal the secret
38. Pin it on someone
Meaning: To falsely blame someone for something.
In a Sentence: To avoid punishment, Jake pinned it on his little sister, saying she was the one who broke the lamp during their indoor soccer game.
Other Ways to Say: Blame someone else, Point the finger
39. Talk out of both sides of your mouth
Meaning: To say contradictory things, often to deceive.
In a Sentence: The politician was accused of talking out of both sides of his mouth, promising lower taxes to one group while telling another he’d increase funding for schools.
Other Ways to Say: Be two-faced, Contradict yourself
40. Throw someone under the bus
Meaning: To betray or blame someone to save yourself.
In a Sentence: When the boss asked who missed the deadline, Claire threw her teammate under the bus, saying he hadn’t done his part, even though they’d both slacked off.
Other Ways to Say: Betray someone, Shift the blame
41. Make a clean breast of it
Meaning: To confess the truth after lying.
In a Sentence: After weeks of denying she’d cheated on the test, Anna finally made a clean breast of it to her teacher, hoping for a lighter punishment.
Other Ways to Say: Come clean, Confess fully
42. Talk through your nose
Meaning: To speak in a way that sounds exaggerated or dishonest.
In a Sentence: When Tom bragged about winning a surfing competition, he was talking through his nose, as he’d only participated in a beginner’s class.
Other Ways to Say: Exaggerate, Speak boastfully
43. Lead someone down the primrose path
Meaning: To deceive someone with false promises of ease or success.
In a Sentence: The recruiter led the job applicant down the primrose path, promising a corner office and a six-figure salary, only for her to discover it was an entry-level role.
Other Ways to Say: Mislead with promises, Deceive with charm
44. Tell it to the marines
Meaning: A sarcastic way to express disbelief in a lie.
In a Sentence: When Max claimed he’d climbed Mount Everest over the weekend, his friends laughed and said, “Tell it to the marines!” knowing he’d never left town.
Other Ways to Say: I don’t believe you, That’s nonsense
45. Spin a web of lies
Meaning: To create a complex series of lies.
In a Sentence: To avoid getting grounded, Sophie spun a web of lies about where she’d been, involving fake friends, made-up events, and a nonexistent study group.
Other Ways to Say: Create a tangled lie, Build a false story
46. Put up a front
Meaning: To pretend or act in a way that hides the truth.
In a Sentence: Despite being nervous about the audition, Bella put up a confident front, smiling and acting like she’d performed on stage a hundred times before.
Other Ways to Say: Pretend, Put on an act
47. Stretch the truth
Meaning: To exaggerate or slightly alter the truth.
In a Sentence: When describing his summer job, Ryan stretched the truth, saying he managed the entire store when he only restocked shelves part-time.
Other Ways to Say: Bend the truth, Embellish the facts
48. Have your fingers crossed
Meaning: To wish for luck, often while hiding the truth.
In a Sentence: While promising her parents she’d studied enough for the exam, Lily had her fingers crossed, knowing she’d barely glanced at her notes.
Other Ways to Say: Hope for the best, Wish secretly
49. Play someone for a fool
Meaning: To deceive someone by taking advantage of their trust.
In a Sentence: The scammer played the elderly man for a fool, convincing him to send money for a fake charity with a heartbreaking sob story.
Other Ways to Say: Trick someone, Exploit trust
50. Cook up a story
Meaning: To invent a false story or excuse.
In a Sentence: To avoid detention, Ethan cooked up a story about a family emergency that required him to leave school early, hoping the teacher wouldn’t check.
Other Ways to Say: Make up a tale, Invent an excuse
Practical Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
- When asked about the missing cookies, Tim tried to _______ the wool over Mom’s eyes by blaming the dog.
- Sarah _______ a yarn about meeting a celebrity to impress her classmates at lunch.
- To avoid hurting her friend’s feelings, Emma told a _______ lie about loving her new dress.
- The accountant was fired for _______ the books to hide the company’s losses.
- Jake _______ through his teeth when he said he’d finished all his chores before playing video games.
- The salesman _______ the couple up the garden path with promises of a cheap vacation package.
- Mia _______ like a rug, claiming she’d been at the library when she was at the mall.
- To avoid suspicion, Alex _______ his tracks by deleting his browser history after shopping online.
- When asked about the broken window, Ben _______ a whopper about a stray baseball from a neighbor’s game.
- The politician was _______ hot air when he promised to fix all the city’s problems in a week.
- By not admitting he’d lost the tickets, Sam _______ his friends in the dark about the canceled concert.
- To get out of trouble, Lisa _______ it on thick, claiming a power outage stopped her from finishing homework.
- After lying for weeks, Anna finally _______ a clean breast of it and admitted to copying the answers.
- Max’s wild story about surfing with sharks was so unbelievable, his friends told him to _______ it to the marines.
- Sophie _______ a web of lies to explain why she missed her curfew by three hours.
Answers:
pull, spun, white, cooking, lied, led, fibbed, covered, told, blowing, kept, laid, made, tell, spun
Conclusion
Idioms for lying are a fascinating and colorful way to describe deception, from little white lies to elaborate tall tales. These expressions not only make conversations more lively but also offer insight into the many ways people twist the truth in daily life. By learning and practicing these idioms, you can sharpen your communication skills, better understand the nuances of language, and even catch a liar in the act! Whether you’re navigating school, work, or social situations, these phrases will help you express ideas with flair and creativity. Keep practicing them in conversations, writing, or even storytelling, and you’ll find they add a playful yet powerful edge to your language.