white lie
false information which is harmless
TRANSLATION
white lie = Notlüge, fromme Lüge --- GOOGLE INDEX white lie: approximately 500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
When you have to keep clients happy all of the time, sometimes a WHITE LIE goes a long way.
(www.digiday.com)
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The latest survey from vehicle information expert HPI reveals over a quarter of used car owners play fast and loose with the truth by telling a WHITE LIE in order to sell their car.
(Yareah magazine)
(www.digiday.com)
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The latest survey from vehicle information expert HPI reveals over a quarter of used car owners play fast and loose with the truth by telling a WHITE LIE in order to sell their car.
(Yareah magazine)
Did you
know?
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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The expression "white lie" is based on the ancient Western concept of polar opposites, which is often represented through white (good) and black (evil). White magic is a type of magic that is intended to do good, while black magic is the evil variety for instance.
A white paternoster was a prayer that was meant to ward off evil spirits while a black paternoster was one that was used to call up evil spirits. Or in in Hollywood westerns, the good guys always wore the white hats and the bad guys the black ones. This concept does not apply to every white and black situation however. After all, white chocolate and black chocolate both taste pretty good…
Likewise, a white lie is one that is not meant to be evil, in contrast to a black lie, although we usually don’t call them black. A white lie is harmless or trivial and is normally said to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. The term is first found in the eighteenth century, although it had a slightly different meaning back then.
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.
White is from the Old English "hwit" (whiteness, white food, white of an egg). In late Old English it also referred to a "highly luminous colour devoid of chroma."
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SYNONYMS
a falsette, a fib, positive misinformation, a slight misrepresentation
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Everyone is guilty of telling a white lie from time to time."
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)
---
The expression "white lie" is based on the ancient Western concept of polar opposites, which is often represented through white (good) and black (evil). White magic is a type of magic that is intended to do good, while black magic is the evil variety for instance.
A white paternoster was a prayer that was meant to ward off evil spirits while a black paternoster was one that was used to call up evil spirits. Or in in Hollywood westerns, the good guys always wore the white hats and the bad guys the black ones. This concept does not apply to every white and black situation however. After all, white chocolate and black chocolate both taste pretty good…
Likewise, a white lie is one that is not meant to be evil, in contrast to a black lie, although we usually don’t call them black. A white lie is harmless or trivial and is normally said to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. The term is first found in the eighteenth century, although it had a slightly different meaning back then.
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.
White is from the Old English "hwit" (whiteness, white food, white of an egg). In late Old English it also referred to a "highly luminous colour devoid of chroma."
---
SYNONYMS
a falsette, a fib, positive misinformation, a slight misrepresentation
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Everyone is guilty of telling a white lie from time to time."
