Timeline for Is there a word for the person who hides truth in order to deceive?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
14 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Nov 17, 2011 at 18:08 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | @Mitch :-) ... wait for one more downvote before deleting, that way you can get a badge for it :-) | |
| Nov 17, 2011 at 18:00 | comment | added | Mitch | @Kate: The great wealth of evidence to the contrary of my opinion is slightly wafting me towards reconsideration. Or I could wish the world more in the direction of where my definition is correct. Either way, I get it. But rather than delete, I'll let it stand so people can see a wrong answer. | |
| Nov 17, 2011 at 17:40 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | A white lie is a "good" lie. "No, don't worry, it looks fine" or "I'm sure no-one will notice" or "no offense taken!" or "I'll treasure it always, thank you so much." You are saying something you don't believe, and in some cases don't really expect anyone else to believe, not for your own selfish reasons (a black lie) but to make the other person happier. They are not telling one kind of truth to hide another, they are just lying, but for unselfish reasons. | |
| Nov 17, 2011 at 16:52 | history | edited | user2683 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 20 characters in body
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| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:57 | history | edited | Mitch | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
separated out the two distinct answers
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| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:50 | comment | added | slim | I agree with the downvotes. A white lie is, unambiguously, a lie. | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:33 | comment | added | jprete | -1. White lies are not told to hide "more serious or disturbing" truths, not in the sense that your phrasing would apply. They are normally told in order to hide truths that are socially awkward and unpleasant. I would have left it at +0, but you seem to be completely unwilling to fix your answer to match actual common usage. | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:33 | comment | added | Mitch | @ShreevatsaR: understood. I'm sure there's a relevant Dilbert comic. But anyway, I don't say a 'white lie' is told with only good or only bad intentions (that is Jasper's (and the on-line) view). Anyway, anyway, 'misleading' -does- have more of the connotation of 'with negative intentions'. | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:32 | comment | added | Mitch | Here is an example of what I consider a 'white lie': 'Don't worry Gramma, you'll be out of the hospital soon.' | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:08 | comment | added | ShreevatsaR | @Mitch: If your personal reading conflicts with every reference and every other person's interpretation, perhaps it's time to revise it. :-) And even you say that a white lie is told to "avoid having to say something bad", i.e., is told with good intentions. What the question wants is something that could by analogy be called a "black truth". | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 14:01 | comment | added | Mitch | As to 'white lie' on-line references define it as a 'small lie' not a huge falsehood, but a small lie to hide the worse truth. However, my personal reading of it has always been as I stated, saying -something- to sidestep a question to avoid having to say something bad. | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 13:56 | comment | added | Mitch | I may have committed an SE solecism by posting two very different answers in one. So commenting on each one...'misleading' (to me) is pretty obviously a misdirection to hide something bad, i.e. not telling a falsehood but then not really answering the question. | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 13:45 | comment | added | Aaron White | As above. And I am looking for a truth told with bad intentions. | |
| Nov 14, 2011 at 12:17 | history | answered | Mitch | CC BY-SA 3.0 |