Where exactly this term come from? and what was the reason behind it? i wonder...mmhhh..
as I know Lie is bad, and white is the opposite of Black and Black tend to be identified as "BAD"
so WHITE LIE equal to GOOD LIE, what if we lie for someone's sake or for our own sake? will that be considered as a WHITE LIE?
what if we lied something for instance : " I wanna do my HW in my friend's house" but the fact is we went out for a movie, could it be considered as a WHITE LIE?
Can anyone describe how to categorize "WHITE LIE
Thanks,
Jaded
Comments
a white le is a pious (hence 'white') lie e,g that the one is without any importance.
If it is meant to help another it is tactfulness, if it is meant as an excuse for your sake then it is a lie but nevertheless still a minor one.:)
Dear Mishaikh, thanks for your nice information.
Thank you, Jaded, for the question and thank you, Mishaikh, for the reply.
Examples
noun
1.
a minor, polite, or harmless lie; fib.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
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Examples from the web for white lie Expand
And other than a subtle white lie here and there, he is completely genuine to them.
The first cousin of the white lie is the idle boast-not quite so harmless, but not nefarious, either.
British Dictionary definitions for white lie Expand
white lie
noun
1.
a minor or unimportant lie, esp one uttered in the interests of tact or politeness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Idioms and Phrases with white lie Expand
white lie
An untruth told to spare feelings or from politeness, as in She asked if I liked her dress, and of course I told a white lie. This term uses white in the sense of “harmless.” [First half of 1700s ]