white lie
noun phrase

- a lie that is about a subject that is not very important, or one that is told to be polite or kind

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

The word lie – to speak falsely, tell an untruth – stems from the late 12th century Old English legan, ligan (earlier leogan), meaning to deceive, belie, betray and further from the Proto-Germanic leugan which has cognates in the Danish lyve and German lügen.

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TALKING POINT

The possession of the capacity to lie among non-humans has been asserted during language studies with great apes. In one instance, the gorilla Koko, when asked who tore a sink from the wall, pointed to one of her handlers and then laughed.

Elizabeth Hanley - “Listening to Koko”

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Deceptive body language, such as feints* that mislead as to the intended direction of attack or flight, is observed in many species. A mother bird deceives when she pretends to have a broken wing to divert the attention of a perceived predator from the eggs in her nest.

*feint = Täuschungsmanöver

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“Always speak the truth, that way, you’ll have less to remember.”

Anonymous

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SYNONYMS

a falsette, a fib, positive misinformation, a slight misrepresentation

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Practice OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“Who of us hasn’t told A WHITE LIE from time to time.”

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Paul Smith