mindmap root((说谎)) lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty to the speaker: to ~ under oath is a serious crime. prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying a quibbling or an evading or confusing of the issue: during the hearings the witness did his best to ~. equivocate implies the using of ambiguous words in an attempt to mislead or deceive: ~d, dodged questions, and generally misled her inquisitors. palter implies the making of unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises: a cad ~ing with a naive, young girl. fib applies to the telling of a trivial untruth: ~bed about the price of the suit.