Editing Lie (section)

== Types and associated terms ==
* A ''barefaced, bald-faced'' or ''bold-faced lie'' is an impudent, brazen, shameless, flagrant, or audacious lie that is sometimes but not always undisguised and that it is even then not always obvious to those hearing it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bal2.htm |title=Worldwidewords.org |publisher=Worldwidewords.org |date=13 June 2009 |access-date=10 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007072137/http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bal2.htm |archive-date=7 October 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* A ''[[big lie]]'' is one that attempts to trick the victim into believing something major, which will likely be contradicted by some information the victim already possesses, or by their common sense. When the lie is of sufficient magnitude it may succeed, due to the victim's reluctance to believe that an untruth on such a grand scale would indeed be concocted.<ref name="Dictionary.com">''[http://www.dictionary.com/ Dictionary.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421010305/http://www.dictionary.com/ |date=21 April 2018 }}''. 7 December 2017.</ref>
* A ''black lie'' is about simple and callous selfishness. They are usually told when others gain nothing, and the sole purpose is either to get oneself out of trouble (reducing harm against oneself), or to gain something one desires (increasing benefits for oneself).<ref name="ChangingMinds.org">'' [http://www.changingminds.org/ ChangingMinds.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109000829/http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/lying/four_lies.htm}}''. 9 November 2020.</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Term created by changingminds.org author?|date=April 2021}}
* A ''blue lie'' is a form of lying that is told purportedly to benefit a collective or "in the name of the collective good".  The origin of the term "blue lie" is possibly from cases where police officers made false statements to protect the police force, or to ensure the success of a legal case against an accused.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fu |first1=Genyue |last2=Evans |first2=Angela D. |last3=Wang |first3=Lingfeng |last4=Lee |first4=Kang |title=Lying in the name of the collective good: a developmental study |journal=Developmental Science |date=July 2008 |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=495–503 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00695.x|pmid=18576957 |pmc=2570108 }}</ref>
* An ''April fool'' is a lie or hoax told/performed on [[April Fools' Day]].
* To ''bluff'' is to pretend to have a capability or intention one does not possess.<ref name="Dictionary.com"/> Bluffing is an act of deception that is rarely seen as immoral when it takes place in the context of a game, such as [[poker]], where this kind of deception is consented to in advance by the players. For instance, [[gambler]]s who deceive other players into thinking they have different cards to those they really hold, or athletes who hint that they will move left and then dodge right are not considered to be lying (also known as a [[feint]] or juke). In these situations, deception is acceptable and is commonly expected as a tactic.{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* ''[[Bullshit]]'' (also ''B.S.'', ''bullcrap'', ''bull'') does not necessarily have to be a complete fabrication. While a lie is related by a speaker who believes what is said is false, bullshit is offered by a speaker who does not care whether what is said is true because the speaker is more concerned with giving the hearer some impression. Thus, bullshit may be either true or false, but demonstrates a lack of concern for the truth that is likely to lead to falsehoods.<ref>{{cite book|title=[[On Bullshit]] |last=Frankfurt |first=Harry |location= Princeton, N.J. |publisher=Princeton University Press |orig-year=2005 |isbn=978-0691122946|year=2013 }}</ref>
* [[File:"An ostrich only thinks he "covers up." - NARA - 513846.jpg|thumb|A motivational poster about lying declares "An [[ostrich]] only thinks he 'covers up'"]] A ''[[cover-up]]'' may be used to deny, defend, or obfuscate a lie, errors, embarrassing actions, or lifestyle, and/or lie(s) made previously.<ref name="Dictionary.com" /> One may deny a lie made on a previous occasion, or alternatively, one may claim that a previous lie was not as egregious as it was. For example, to claim that a premeditated lie was really "only" an emergency lie, or to claim that a self-serving lie was really "only" a white lie or noble lie. This should not be confused with [[confirmation bias]] in which the deceiver is deceiving themselves.{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* ''[[Defamation]]'' is the communication of a false statement that harms the reputation of an individual person, business, product, group, government, religion, or nation.<ref name="Dictionary.com"/>
* To ''deflect'' is to avoid the subject that the lie is about, not giving attention to the lie. When attention is given to the subject the lie is based around, deflectors ignore or refuse to respond. Skillful deflectors are passive-aggressive, who when confronted with the subject choose to ignore and not respond.<ref name="Patterns for College Writing">{{cite book |last1=Ericsson |first1=Stephanie |title=Patterns for College Writing |date=2010 |publisher=Bedford |location=St. Wartins |isbn=978-0312601522|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312535513/page/487 487] |edition=11th|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312535513/page/487 }}</ref>
* ''[[Disinformation]]'' is intentionally [[Deception|false]] or misleading [[information]] that is spread in a calculated way to deceive target audiences.<ref name="Dictionary.com"/>
* An ''[[exaggeration]]'' occurs when the most fundamental aspects of a statement are true, but only to a certain degree. It also is seen as "stretching the truth" or making something appear more powerful, meaningful, or real than it is. Saying that someone devoured most of something when they only ate half is considered an exaggeration. An exaggeration might be easily found to be a [[hyperbole]] where a person's statement (i.e. in informal speech, such as "He did this one million times already!") is meant not to be understood literally.<ref name="Dictionary.com"/>
* [[File:How to Spot Fake News.pdf|right|thumb|Infographic ''How to spot fake news'' published by the [[International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions]]]] ''[[Fake news]]'' is supposed to be a type of [[yellow journalism]] that consists of deliberate [[misinformation]] or [[hoax]]es spread via traditional print and broadcast [[news media]] or online [[social media]].<ref>AllCott, Hunt and Matthew Gentzkow. [https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/fakenews.pdf "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018172144/https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/fakenews.pdf |date=18 October 2017 }} ''Stanford University''.  Spring 2017.  7 December 2017.</ref> Sometimes the term is applied as a deceptive device to deflect attention from uncomfortable truths and facts.{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* A ''fib'' is a lie that is easy to forgive due to its subject being a trivial matter; for example, a child may tell a fib by claiming that the family [[dog]] broke a household vase, when the child was the one who broke it.<ref name="Dictionary.com"/>
* ''[[Fraud]]'' refers to the act of inducing another person or people to believe a lie in order to secure material or financial gain for the liar. Depending on the context, fraud may subject the liar to civil or criminal penalties.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Druzin|first=Bryan|title=The Criminalization of Lying: Under what Circumstances, if any, should Lies be made Criminal?|url=https://works.bepress.com/bryan_druzin/6/|journal=Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology|volume=101|pages=548–550|year=2011|access-date=5 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005131735/https://works.bepress.com/bryan_druzin/6/|archive-date=5 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A ''gray lie'' is told partly to help others and partly to help ourselves. It may vary in the shade of gray, depending on the balance of help and harm. Gray lies are, almost by definition, hard to clarify. For example you can lie to help a friend out of trouble but then gain the reciprocal benefit of them lying for you while those they have harmed in some way lose out.<ref name="ChangingMinds.org" />{{Better source needed|reason=Term created by changingminds.org author?|date=April 2021}}
* A ''[[half-truth]]'' or ''partial truth'' is a [[deception|deceptive statement]] that includes some element of [[truth]].  The statement might be partly true, the statement may be totally true, but only part of the whole truth, or it may employ some deceptive element, such as improper [[punctuation]] or double meaning, especially if the intent is to deceive, [[Evasion (ethics)|evade]], [[blame]], or misrepresent the truth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Half-truth |title=Merriam Webster Definition of Half-truth, August 1, 2007 |publisher=M-w.com |date=31 August 2012 |access-date=10 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223143222/http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/half-truth |archive-date=23 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Partial truths are characterized by malicious intent, and therefore, honest people should not excuse them as containing a "rational kernel."<ref>Julius, Anthony, ''Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England'', Oxford, Oxford UP, 2010.  p. 117.</ref>
*''[[Confabulation]]'' (or honest lie) may be identified by verbal statements or actions that inaccurately describe the history, background, and present situations. There is generally no intent to [[misinformation|misinform]] and the individual is unaware that their information is false. Because of this, it is not technically a lie at all since, by definition, there must be an intent to deceive for the statement to be considered a lie.{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* ''Jocose lies'' are lies meant in [[jocular|jest]], intended to be understood as such by all present parties. Teasing and [[irony]] are examples. A more elaborate instance is seen in some [[storytelling]] traditions, where the storyteller's insistence that the story is the absolute truth, despite all evidence to the contrary (i.e., [[tall tale]]), is considered humorous. There is debate about whether these are "real" lies, and different philosophers hold different views. The [[Crick Crack Club]] in London arranges a yearly "Grand Lying Contest" with the winner being awarded the coveted "Hodja Cup" (named for the Mulla [[Nasreddin]]: "The truth is something I have never spoken."). The winner in 2010 was [[Hugh Lupton]]. In the United States, the [[Burlington Liars' Club]] awards an annual title to the "World Champion Liar."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vp7jJrocxcYC&pg=PA104 |page=104|title=The Indiana Book of Records, Firsts, and Fascinating Facts|isbn=0253283205|last1=Cavinder|first1=Fred D.|year=1985|publisher=Indiana University Press }}</ref>
* ''[[Lie-to-children]]'' is a phrase that describes a simplified explanation of technical or complex subjects as a teaching method for children and laypeople. While lies-to-children are useful in teaching complex subjects to people who are new to the concepts discussed, they can promote the creation of [[List of common misconceptions|misconception]]s among the people who listen to them. The phrase has been incorporated by academics within the fields of [[biology]], [[evolution]], [[bioinformatics]], and the [[social sciences]]. Media use of the term has extended to publications including ''[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]'' and ''[[Forbes]]''.{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* ''Lying by omission{{Anchor|Lying by omission}}'', also known as a ''continuing misrepresentation'' or ''[[quote mining]]'', occurs when an important fact is left out in order to foster a misconception. Lying by omission includes the failure to correct pre-existing misconceptions. For example, when the seller of a car declares it has been serviced regularly, but does not mention that a fault was reported during the last service, the seller lies by omission. It may be compared to dissimulation. An omission is when a person tells most of the truth, but leaves out a few key facts that therefore, completely obscures the truth.<ref name="Patterns for College Writing"/>
* [[File:CDCA auto repair notice.jpg|thumb|Consumer protection laws often mandate the posting of notices, such as this one which appears in all [[Auto mechanic|automotive repair]] shops in California.]] ''Lying in trade'' occurs when the seller of a product or service may advertise untrue facts about the product or service in order to gain sales, especially by competitive advantage. Many countries and states have enacted [[consumer protection]] laws intended to combat such fraud.
* A ''[[memory hole]]'' is a mechanism for the alteration or disappearance of inconvenient or embarrassing documents, photographs, transcripts, or other records, such as from a [[website]] or other archive, particularly as part of an attempt to give the impression that something never happened.<ref name="Murphy">[http://firedoglake.com/2010/05/31/memorial-day-memory-hole-after-israel-forgets-exodus-white-house-forgets-shores-of-tripoli-will-obama-remember-nato/ Murphy, Kirk, ''Memorial Day Memory Hole: After Israel Forgets “Exodus”, White House Forgets “Shores of Tripoli”. Will Obama Remember NATO?''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101092344/http://firedoglake.com/2010/05/31/memorial-day-memory-hole-after-israel-forgets-exodus-white-house-forgets-shores-of-tripoli-will-obama-remember-nato/ |date=1 November 2014 }} 31 May 2010 [[Firedoglake.com]]</ref><ref name="mother">[http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/06/nevada-tea-partier-memory-hole-website-sharron-angle-harry-reid-senate Weinstein, Adam, ''Nevada Tea Partier's Memory Hole'', 9 June 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131222424/http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2010/06/nevada-tea-partier-memory-hole-website-sharron-angle-harry-reid-senate |date=31 January 2017 }}. [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]].</ref>
* ''[[Mutual deceit]]'' is a situation wherein lying is both accepted and expected<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Minkler|first=Alanson|title=Integrity and Agreement: Economics When Principles Also Matter|date=2011|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0472116430|location=Ann Arbor|pages=78, 128}}</ref> or that the parties mutually accept the deceit in question. This can be demonstrated in the case of a [[poker]] game wherein the strategies rely on [[deception]] and [[Bluff (poker)|bluffing]] to win.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Arp|first=Robert|title=Psych and Philosophy|date=2013|publisher=Open Court Publishing|isbn=978-0812698251|location=Chicago|pages=140}}</ref>
* [[File:Plato Silanion Musei Capitolini MC1377.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Plato]] presented arguments to justify the use of [[noble lie]]s in his ''[[Republic (Plato)|Republic]]''.<ref>Aruffo, Madeline. [https://www.bu.edu/av/core/journal/xxiii/Aruffo.pdf "Problems with the Noble Lie."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517023931/http://www.bu.edu/av/core/journal/xxiii/Aruffo.pdf |date=17 May 2017 }} ''Boston University''.  Accessed 4 December 2017.</ref>]] A ''[[noble lie]]'', which also could be called a strategic untruth, is one that normally would cause discord if uncovered, but offers some benefit to the liar and assists in an orderly society, therefore, potentially being beneficial to others. It is often told to maintain law, order, and safety.
* ''[[Paltering]]'' is the active use of selective truthful statements to mislead.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gerdeman|first=Dina|date=2016-12-05|title=How To Deceive Others With Truthful Statements (It's Called 'Paltering,' And It's Risky)|url=http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/why-one-must-not-palter-when-negotiating|access-date=2021-11-18|website=HBS Working Knowledge|language=en}}</ref>
* ''[[Paternalistic deception]]'' is a lie told because it is believed (possibly incorrectly) that the deceived person will benefit.
* In [[psychiatry]], ''[[pathological lying]]'' (also called compulsive lying, pseudologia fantastica, and mythomania) is a behavior of habitual or compulsive lying.<ref name="jaapl">{{cite journal |vauthors=Dike CC, Baranoski M, Griffith EE |title=Pathological lying revisited |journal=The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=342–349 |year=2005 |pmid=16186198 |url=http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16186198 |access-date=6 July 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130113031731/http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16186198 |archive-date=13 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Dike">{{cite news |first=Charles C. |last=Dike |date=1 June 2008 |title=Pathological Lying: Symptom or Disease? |url=http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1162950 |volume=25 |issue=7 |access-date=6 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308102757/http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1162950 |archive-date=8 March 2011 |url-status=dead |work=Psychiatric Times }}</ref> It was first described in the medical literature in 1891 by Anton Delbrueck.<ref name="Dike" /> Although it is a controversial topic,<ref name="Dike"/> pathological lying has been defined as "falsification entirely disproportionate to any discernible end in view, may be extensive and very complicated, and may manifest over a period of years or even a lifetime".<ref name="jaapl"/> The individual may be aware they are lying, or may believe they are telling the truth, being unaware that they are relating fantasies.{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* ''[[Perjury]]'' is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in [[court]], or in any of various sworn statements in writing. Perjury is a [[crime]], because the witness has sworn to tell the truth, and for the credibility of the court to remain intact, witness testimony must be relied on as truthful.<ref name="Dictionary.com"/>
* A ''{{vanchor|polite lie}}'' is a lie that a [[politeness]] standard requires, and that usually is known to be untrue by both parties. Whether such lies are acceptable is heavily dependent on culture. A common polite lie in international etiquette may be to decline invitations because of "scheduling difficulties", or due to "[[diplomatic illness]]". Similarly, the butler lie is a small lie that usually is sent electronically and is used to terminate conversations or to [[save face]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec10/WhiteLiesTech.html |title=Butler Lie term coined at Cornell University |publisher=News.cornell.edu |date=20 December 2010 |access-date=10 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028034002/http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec10/WhiteLiesTech.html |archive-date=28 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[Puffery]]'' is an exaggerated claim typically found in advertising and publicity announcements, such as "the highest quality at the lowest price", or "always votes in the best interest of all the people". Such statements are unlikely to be true&nbsp;– but cannot be proven false and so, do not violate trade laws, especially as the consumer is expected to be able to determine that it is not the absolute truth.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aj8-fMhlzUMC&pg=PA293 |page=293 |title=Cengage Advantage Books: Essentials of Business Law |isbn=978-0324537123 |last1=Beatty |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Samuelson |first2=Susan |year=2007 |publisher=Cengage Learning }}</ref>
* A ''red lie'' is about spite and revenge. It is driven by the motive to harm others even at the expense of harming oneself, out of an angry desire for retribution.<ref name="ChangingMinds.org" />{{Better source needed|reason=Term created by changingminds.org author?|date=April 2021}}
* The phrase "''speaking with a [[forked tongue]]''" means to deliberately say one thing and mean another or, to be hypocritical, or act in a duplicitous manner. This phrase was adopted by Americans around the time of the Revolution, and may be found in abundant references from the early nineteenth century&nbsp;– often reporting on American officers who sought to convince the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas]] with whom they negotiated that they "spoke with a straight and not with a forked tongue" (as for example, President [[Andrew Jackson]] told members of the Creek Nation in 1829).<ref>''Niles' Register'', 13 June 1829</ref> According to one 1859 account, the proverb that the "white man spoke with a forked tongue" originated in the 1690s, in the descriptions by the indigenous peoples of [[French colonization of the Americas|French colonials in America]] inviting members of the [[Iroquois Confederacy]] to attend a peace conference, but when the Iroquois arrived, the French had set an ambush and proceeded to slaughter and capture the Iroquois.<ref>''Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society'', Vol 19, 1859, p. 230.</ref>
* A ''therapeutic fib'' is lying, or bending the truth, in order to avoid increased agitation from a person with dementia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Theraputic Fibs: What they are and why they are OK |date=6 February 2018 |url=https://iona.org/therapeutic-fibs-ok/ |access-date=2024-05-14 |language=en}}</ref> The intent is not to deceive the patient, but rather to help them feel safe and secure in facing an otherwise upsetting situation or fact.
* ''[[Weasel word]]'' is an [[informal language|informal term]]<ref>[[Microsoft Encarta]], "[http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861711798 weasel words] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604112456/http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861711798 |date=4 June 2011 }}"</ref> for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that a specific or meaningful statement has been made, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated, enabling the specific meaning to be denied if the statement is challenged. A more formal term is [[equivocating|equivocation]].{{fact|date=April 2023}}
* {{anchor|White lie}}A ''white lie'' is a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told in order to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings or stopping them from being upset by the truth.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/white_lie |title=Definition of 'white lie' |access-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418025741/https://www.lexico.com/definition/white_lie |website=Lexico |archive-date=18 April 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/white-lie |title=White lie |access-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905072153/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/white-lie |website=Cambridge Dictionary|archive-date=5 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/white-lie?s=t |title=Definition of 'white lie' |access-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028150420/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/white-lie?s=t |archive-date=28 October 2019 |url-status=live |website=dictionary.com }}</ref> A white lie also is considered a lie to be used for greater good (pro-social behavior). It sometimes is used to shield someone from a hurtful or emotionally-damaging truth, especially when not knowing the truth is deemed by the liar as completely harmless. However, white lies can still be harmful as they can foster distrust when used in inappropriate situations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Be honest: little white lies are more harmful than you think {{!}} Psyche Ideas |url=https://psyche.co/ideas/be-honest-little-white-lies-are-more-harmful-than-you-think |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Psyche |language=en}}</ref>
* ''[[wikt:vranyo|Vranyo]]'' expresses white lies or half-lies in Russian culture, told without the intention of (maliciously) deceiving, but as a fantasy, suppressing unpleasant parts of the truth.{{fact|date=April 2023}}