half the truth is often a whole lie

half the truth is often a whole lie

proverb Not being completely honest can be as deceitful as lying; intentionally omitting information is equivalent to lying. I know you want to protect his feelings, but you really need to be honest with him. Half the truth is often a whole lie, you know. Don't fall into the trap of lying by omission. Half the truth is often a whole lie. You really should have told me everything from the begging. Remember, half the truth is often a whole lie.

See also: half, lie, often, truth, whole

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Half the truth is often a whole lie.

Prov. If you do not tell the whole truth, you can mislead people just as if you tell them an outright lie. Jill: You lied to me. Jane: I did not. Everything I said was true. Jill: But you didn't tell me the whole story. And half the truth is often a whole lie.

See also: half, lie, often, truth, whole

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.