To give the lie to

To give the lie to
Lie Lie (l[imac]), n. [AS. lyge; akin to D. leugen, OHG. lugi, G. l["u]ge, lug, Icel. lygi, Dan. & Sw. l["o]gn, Goth. liugn. See {Lie} to utter a falsehood.] 1. A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth; an untruth spoken with the intention to deceive. [1913 Webster]

The proper notion of a lie is an endeavoring to deceive another by signifying that to him as true, which we ourselves think not to be so. --S. Clarke. [1913 Webster]

It is willful deceit that makes a lie. A man may act a lie, as by pointing his finger in a wrong direction when a traveler inquires of him his road. --Paley. [1913 Webster]

2. A fiction; a fable; an untruth. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

3. Anything which misleads or disappoints. [1913 Webster]

Wishing this lie of life was o'er. --Trench. [1913 Webster]

{To give the lie to}. (a) To charge with falsehood; as, the man gave him the lie. (b) To reveal to be false; as, a man's actions may give the lie to his words.

{White lie}, a euphemism for such lies as one finds it convenient to tell, and excuses himself for telling. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Untruth; falsehood; fiction; deception.

Usage: {Lie}, {Untruth}. A man may state what is untrue from ignorance or misconception; hence, to impute an untruth to one is not necessarily the same as charging him with a lie. Every lie is an untruth, but not every untruth is a lie. Cf. {Falsity}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • give the lie to something — formal phrase to show that something is not at all true These figures give the lie to the notion that people are spending less. Thesaurus: to try to show that an idea or belief is wrongsynonym Main entry: lie * * * give the lie to sth …   Useful english dictionary

  • give the lie to something — give the lie to (something) formal to show that something is not true. The high incidence of cancer in the region surely gives the lie to official assurances that the factory is safe …   New idioms dictionary

  • give the lie to — (something) formal to show that something is not true. The high incidence of cancer in the region surely gives the lie to official assurances that the factory is safe …   New idioms dictionary

  • give the lie to — ► give the lie to serve to show that (something assumed to be true) is not true. Main Entry: ↑lie …   English terms dictionary

  • give the lie to — DISPROVE, contradict, negate, deny, refute, rebut, controvert, belie, invalidate, discredit, debunk; challenge, call into question; informal shoot full of holes, shoot down (in flames); formal confute, gainsay. → lie * * * phrasal …   Useful english dictionary

  • give the lie to something — formal to show that something is not at all true These figures give the lie to the notion that people are spending less …   English dictionary

  • To give the lie to — Give Give (g[i^]v), v. t. [imp. {Gave} (g[=a]v); p. p. {Given} (g[i^]v n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Giving}.] [OE. given, yiven, yeven, AS. gifan, giefan; akin to D. geven, OS. ge[eth]an, OHG. geban, G. geben, Icel. gefa, Sw. gifva, Dan. give, Goth.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • give the lie to — {v. phr.}, {literary} 1. To call (someone) a liar. * /The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during the robbery./ 2. To show (something) to be false; prove untrue. * /The boy s dirty face gave the lie to his answer… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • give the lie to — {v. phr.}, {literary} 1. To call (someone) a liar. * /The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during the robbery./ 2. To show (something) to be false; prove untrue. * /The boy s dirty face gave the lie to his answer… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • give\ the\ lie\ to — v. phr. literary 1. To call (someone) a liar. The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during the robbery. 2. To show (smth) to be false; prove untrue. The boy s dirty face gave the lie to his answer that he had washed …   Словарь американских идиом

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