to tell a white lie
1tell a white lie — tell a lie about a trivial matter as to not harm or hurt a person …
2white lie — If you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone s feelings …
3white lie — If you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone s feelings. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** If you tell a white lie, you say something which is not true in order to protect someone or to avoid hurting their feelings. … …
4White lie — 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… …
5white lie — n informal a lie that you tell someone in order to protect them or avoid hurting their feelings …
6white lie — noun an unimportant lie (especially one told to be tactful or polite) • Hypernyms: ↑lie, ↑prevarication * * * a minor, polite, or harmless lie; fib. * * * white lie A minor falsehood, esp one uttered for reasons of tact, etc • • • Main Entry:… …
7white lie — {n. phr.} An innocent social excuse. * /I am too busy to go to their house for dinner tonight. I will call them and tell a little white lie about having the flu./ …
8white lie — {n. phr.} An innocent social excuse. * /I am too busy to go to their house for dinner tonight. I will call them and tell a little white lie about having the flu./ …
9white\ lie — n. phr. An innocent social excuse. I am too busy to go to their house for dinner tonight. I will call them and tell a little white lie about having the flu …
10white lie — noun (C) informal a lie that you tell in order to avoid hurting someone s feelings …
