30 Idioms for Lying

Lying is as old as language itself—and over the years, English has developed countless idioms to describe it. Some are playful, others sharp or sarcastic, but they all offer unique ways to talk about dishonesty, deception, or stretching the truth.

In this article, you’ll explore 30 idioms for lying, from little white lies to full-blown deception. Each idiom includes a clear meaning, example sentences, and alternative ways to say the same thing. Whether you’re writing fiction, analyzing behavior, or just want to speak with more color, these idioms will help you express lying in vivid and creative ways.

1. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes

Meaning: To deceive or trick someone
In a Sentence:
– “He tried to pull the wool over the manager’s eyes with a fake report.”
– “You can’t pull the wool over her eyes—she knows the truth.”
Other Ways to Say: Fool someone / Mislead

2. Bend the truth

Meaning: To slightly change or twist the truth
In a Sentence:
– “She bent the truth about why she missed class.”
– “I didn’t lie exactly—I just bent the truth a little.”
Other Ways to Say: Stretch the truth / Exaggerate

3. White lie

Meaning: A small, harmless lie often told to avoid hurting someone
In a Sentence:
– “I told a white lie about liking the gift so she wouldn’t feel bad.”
– “Sometimes a white lie keeps the peace.”
Other Ways to Say: Polite fib / Harmless lie

4. Lie through your teeth

Meaning: To lie boldly and blatantly
In a Sentence:
– “He lied through his teeth about finishing the homework.”
– “You’re lying through your teeth—I saw you do it.”
Other Ways to Say: Bold-faced lie / Blatant dishonesty

5. Make up a story

Meaning: To invent a false explanation or tale
In a Sentence:
– “He made up a story about his dog eating the project.”
– “Don’t make up stories—just tell me the truth.”
Other Ways to Say: Fabricate / Invent a lie

6. Stretch the truth

Meaning: To exaggerate or distort the facts
In a Sentence:
– “He stretched the truth about how many people showed up.”
– “It wasn’t a complete lie, but she definitely stretched the truth.”
Other Ways to Say: Embellish / Exaggerate

7. Cry wolf

Meaning: To lie or give a false alarm so often that no one believes you when it’s true
In a Sentence:
– “If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you when it really matters.”
– “She cried wolf about being sick again.”
Other Ways to Say: Give false warning / Bluff

8. Feed someone a line

Meaning: To tell a lie, especially to manipulate or persuade
In a Sentence:
– “He fed her a line about working late, but he was out with friends.”
– “Don’t feed me a line—I know you’re lying.”
Other Ways to Say: Tell a tale / Say something false

9. Full of hot air

Meaning: Saying things that are exaggerated, untrue, or meaningless
In a Sentence:
– “He talks a lot but is full of hot air.”
– “That promise was just more hot air.”
Other Ways to Say: Empty words / All talk

10. Lead someone on

Meaning: To deceive someone into thinking something false, especially in relationships
In a Sentence:
– “He led her on, making her think he wanted something serious.”
– “Don’t lead people on if you don’t mean it.”
Other Ways to Say: Mislead / Give false hope

11. Blow smoke

Meaning: To talk in a way meant to confuse or deceive, often to sound more impressive
In a Sentence:
– “He’s just blowing smoke to sound like he knows what he’s doing.”
– “Don’t be fooled—he’s blowing smoke again.”
Other Ways to Say: Talk nonsense / Pretend to know more than you do

12. Lie like a rug

Meaning: To lie very easily or frequently
In a Sentence:
– “You can’t trust him—he lies like a rug.”
– “She lied like a rug about where she was last night.”
Other Ways to Say: Be a chronic liar / Tell constant lies

13. Economical with the truth

Meaning: To deliberately leave out important information (British English)
In a Sentence:
– “The spokesperson was being economical with the truth.”
– “He didn’t lie exactly, but he was certainly economical with the truth.”
Other Ways to Say: Omit details / Half-truth

14. Pull a fast one

Meaning: To trick or deceive someone, often sneakily
In a Sentence:
– “He pulled a fast one on the teacher by swapping test papers.”
– “Watch out—he’s always trying to pull a fast one.”
Other Ways to Say: Trick / Deceive

15. A pack of lies

Meaning: A group of complete lies
In a Sentence:
– “His entire story was a pack of lies.”
– “What she said about me was a pack of lies.”
Other Ways to Say: Total fabrication / Completely untrue

16. Two-faced

Meaning: Someone who acts friendly but says or does dishonest things behind your back
In a Sentence:
– “She’s so two-faced—acting sweet to me but talking badly behind my back.”
– “You can’t trust him; he’s completely two-faced.”
Other Ways to Say: Hypocritical / Fake

17. Fib

Meaning: A small or harmless lie
In a Sentence:
– “He told a little fib about finishing his homework.”
– “It was just a fib to avoid hurting her feelings.”
Other Ways to Say: Small lie / White lie

18. Pulling your leg

Meaning: Jokingly lying or teasing someone
In a Sentence:
– “Relax, I’m just pulling your leg!”
– “I thought she was serious, but she was only pulling my leg.”
Other Ways to Say: Tease / Joke

19. Smoke and mirrors

Meaning: A deceptive or misleading explanation or appearance
In a Sentence:
– “Their marketing is just smoke and mirrors—it hides the truth.”
– “The report was full of smoke and mirrors to avoid accountability.”
Other Ways to Say: Illusion / Trickery

20. Under false pretenses

Meaning: Doing something by misleading someone with a lie
In a Sentence:
– “He got into the event under false pretenses.”
– “She borrowed money under false pretenses and never paid it back.”
Other Ways to Say: Deceptively / Dishonestly

21. Fake it till you make it

Meaning: Pretend to be confident or capable until it becomes real (can involve mild dishonesty)
In a Sentence:
– “I didn’t know what I was doing at first, but I faked it till I made it.”
– “He’s not confident, but he’s definitely faking it till he makes it.”
Other Ways to Say: Pretend / Bluff your way through

22. Talk out of both sides of your mouth

Meaning: Say different (often contradictory) things to different people to deceive
In a Sentence:
– “He says one thing to the staff and another to the board—he talks out of both sides of his mouth.”
– “You can’t trust someone who talks out of both sides of their mouth.”
Other Ways to Say: Be dishonest / Be two-faced

23. Sell someone a story

Meaning: Convince someone to believe a lie or misleading explanation
In a Sentence:
– “He sold her a story about being broke, but he had money all along.”
– “Don’t let them sell you a story—check the facts.”
Other Ways to Say: Tell a convincing lie / Mislead with a tale

24. Fast talker

Meaning: Someone who speaks persuasively to deceive or manipulate
In a Sentence:
– “That salesman was a real fast talker—I ended up buying two!”
– “She’s a fast talker, but not always honest.”
Other Ways to Say: Slick / Smooth but untrustworthy

25. Talk a good game

Meaning: Speak as if you’re competent or honest, but your actions say otherwise
In a Sentence:
– “He talks a good game, but never delivers on his promises.”
– “She talks a good game about honesty, yet keeps lying.”
Other Ways to Say: All talk / Sound good but act poorly

26. Too good to be true

Meaning: Something that seems unbelievable or suspicious because it may involve dishonesty
In a Sentence:
– “That job offer sounded too good to be true—and it was.”
– “Watch out for deals that seem too good to be true.”
Other Ways to Say: Suspicious / Probably false

27. Cook the books

Meaning: To falsify financial records
In a Sentence:
– “The company was caught cooking the books to hide losses.”
– “He went to jail for cooking the books at his firm.”
Other Ways to Say: Falsify data / Commit fraud

28. Fake as a three-dollar bill

Meaning: Completely fake or dishonest
In a Sentence:
– “His apology was fake as a three-dollar bill.”
– “You could tell the designer bag was fake as a three-dollar bill.”
Other Ways to Say: Totally fake / Not real at all

29. On the take

Meaning: Secretly accepting bribes or dishonest money
In a Sentence:
– “The official was fired for being on the take.”
– “He denied being on the take, but the evidence said otherwise.”
Other Ways to Say: Corrupt / Bribed

30. Pull the old switcheroo

Meaning: A sneaky swap or trick involving deception
In a Sentence:
– “They pulled the old switcheroo and changed the product after payment.”
– “He pulled a switcheroo with the test answers.”
Other Ways to Say: Trick / Deceptive swap

Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks using the correct idiom from the list:

1. The politician was caught trying to __________ and cover up the real numbers.
2. That deal sounds way too perfect—it’s probably __________.
3. He told her he’d be working late, but really he was just __________.
4. I didn’t exactly lie—I just __________ the truth a little.
5. She seems nice, but honestly, she’s completely __________ behind your back.

Answer Key

1. cook the books
2. too good to be true
3. feeding her a line
4. bent
5. two-faced

Conclusion

Lying comes in all shapes and shades—from tiny white lies to full-blown deception—and English idioms reflect that variety with wit and nuance. These 30 idioms offer you creative ways to talk about dishonesty, trickery, and everything in between. Whether you’re calling someone out, writing fiction, or interpreting real-world behavior, these expressions help you say more than just “That’s a lie.”

Now that you’ve got these idioms in your language toolbox, use them wisely—and always double-check if something sounds just a little too good to be true!