fibbing
fibbing — verb
1. to say something untrue about a matter of little importance, often to avoid maki
to say something untrue about a matter of little importance, often to avoid making someone feel bad or to get out of a minor problem
When Nina asked about the birthday party, Omar fibbed about having other plans so she would not feel hurt.
fib + about + [noun phrase] for avoiding hurt feelings
Jun was caught fibbing to his teacher about why his homework was so late.
passive: caught fibbing to [someone]
Children sometimes fib about brushing their teeth to avoid a second trip to the bathroom.
Kofi knew he was fibbing when he told his grandmother the soup tasted delicious.
Vikram fibbed by claiming the bus had broken down instead of admitting he had simply forgotten about the appointment.
- lie
stronger and more direct; covers falsehoods of any size or seriousness
- stretch the truth
means exaggerating rather than fully inventing, with less intent to deceive
- tell the truth
the direct opposite action
文法句型
fib about [something]
fib to [someone]
用法筆記
A gentler word than 'lie'; used especially when talking about children or about small, harmless untruths. Never used for serious deception.
常見錯誤
fibbing — noun
1. a statement that is not true but concerns something so minor that it causes no r
a statement that is not true but concerns something so minor that it causes no real harm
Fatima told her mother a small fib about eating all her vegetables.
collocation: tell a fib
The little fib that Dewi told about the broken vase was barely worth getting upset over.
Sita's fib about liking the new haircut was meant to be kind, not dishonest.
Luis admitted it was just a harmless fib to avoid a long, awkward explanation.
The kindergartner's fib about brushing his teeth was exposed when his mother found the dry toothbrush on the bathroom counter.
- white lie
specifically a fib told to spare someone's feelings, with a kind motive
- half-truth
mixes true and false information; a fib is entirely untrue but harmless
- truth
a factually accurate statement
文法句型
tell + a + fib
[adjective] + fib