white lie | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)Adeliberatelyuntruestatementwhich isintendedto produce afavorableresult; especially, one which is judged to be better than anoverhonestalternative, as for example to remainpolitein asuperficialsocial exchange, or tochoose one's battles.Synonym:fib1861,George Eliot[pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XIII, inSilas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, Edinburgh; London:William Blackwood and Sons,→OCLC, part I,page239:The prevarication andwhite lieswhich a mind that keeps itself ambitiously pure is as uneasy under as a great artist under the false touches that no eye detects but his own, are worn as lightly as mere trimmings when once the actions have become a lie.2008July 15, Jacqueline Stenson, “The Whole Truth: When is it okay to lie to your kids?”, inNewsweek, retrieved 14 Sept 2017:An occasional littlewhite liesuch as Weston's probably won't cause any lasting damage. And at times, telling the truth—particularly the whole truth to a child who's not at an age to handle it—may do more harm than good, they say.2012, “Super Rich Kids”, inchannel Orange, performed by Frank Ocean ft. Earl Sweatshirt:Too many joy rides in daddy's Jaguar / Too manywhite liesand white lines2021, “Hard To Find”, inParallel World, performed byCadence Weapon:What the next man knows, where the next man goes / Tellingwhite lies‘bout black folks

Examples:

EN: I know it's a little white lie. What's the difference?
ES: Ya sé que es una mentirijilla, pero importa.
EN: It was a white lie.
ES: Una mentira de cortesía.
EN: A white lie.
ES: Una mentira piadosa.
EN: It was just a little white lie for Christmas.
ES: - Pero su carta decía... - Fue una mentira piadosa de Navidad.
EN: It's just a white lie... then he would go his way and everyone would be happy.
ES: Solo es una mentirijilla de nada. Después usted seguiría su camino y todo el mundo sería feliz.
EN: Yes, I do. That was just a white lie so you wouldn't be worried. Who?
ES: La tengo, fue una mentira piadosa para no asustarte.
EN: That was a little white lie I told to get your sister out of the house.
ES: Esa es un mentirita que le dije a tu hermana para sacarla de la casa.
EN: It will be our little white lie.
ES: Será nuestra pequeña mentira.
EN: Thanks to a little white lie, the first I ever told.
ES: Gracias a una pequeña mentira, la primera de mi vida.
EN: It seems I'm the one you told "our little white lie" to.
ES: A fin de cuentas, "nuestra pequeña mentira" me la hacía a mí.
EN: What would it hurt you to tell one little teeny-weeny white lie?
ES: ¿En qué te iba a perjudicar decir una mentirijilla de nada?
EN: Just tell a little white lie.
ES: Sólo di una mentira piadosa.
EN: I told the kid a white lie.
ES: A los niños no siempre se les dice la verdad.
EN: -A white lie, Sir.
ES: -Una mentira piadosa.
EN: Doc says he had that rare sickness. Maybe i told a white lie, strauss.
ES: Hasta el doctor dice que tenía esa rara enfermedad.

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