fibbing
fibbing — 動詞
1. to say something untrue about a matter of little importance, often to avoid maki
說小謊
說無關緊要的假話
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.
Nina 問起生日派對的事時，Omar 謊稱自己有其他安排，免得她難過。
fib + about + [noun phrase] for avoiding hurt feelings
Jun was caught fibbing to his teacher about why his homework was so late.
Jun 被發現對老師說小謊，解釋為什麼作業遲交。
passive: caught fibbing to [someone]
Children sometimes fib about brushing their teeth to avoid a second trip to the bathroom.
小孩有時會說小謊說自己刷過牙了，免得還要再跑一趟浴室。
Kofi knew he was fibbing when he told his grandmother the soup tasted delicious.
Kofi 知道自己在說小謊——他告訴奶奶湯很好喝，其實並非如此。
Vikram fibbed by claiming the bus had broken down instead of admitting he had simply forgotten about the appointment.
Vikram 說小謊稱公車拋錨了，而不願承認自己只是忘了約會。
- 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 — 名詞
1. a statement that is not true but concerns something so minor that it causes no r
小謊言
不傷害他人的不實說詞
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.
Fatima 對媽媽說了一個關於吃光蔬菜的小謊。
collocation: tell a fib
The little fib that Dewi told about the broken vase was barely worth getting upset over.
Dewi 關於打破花瓶的那個小謊，根本不值得生氣。
Sita's fib about liking the new haircut was meant to be kind, not dishonest.
Sita 對於新髮型表示喜歡的小謊，是出於善意而非欺騙。
Luis admitted it was just a harmless fib to avoid a long, awkward explanation.
Luis 承認那只是個為了避免尷尬長篇解釋的無害小謊。
The kindergartner's fib about brushing his teeth was exposed when his mother found the dry toothbrush on the bathroom counter.
幼稚園男孩說自己刷過牙的那個小謊，被媽媽在浴室洗手台上發現的乾牙刷戳破了。
- 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