Deception: English Vocabulary List

to hide the truth from someone and make them believe something that is not true

"You can't pull the wool over my eyes."

"The dishonest salesman tried to pull the wool over my eyes but I could see that the car had many problems."

to not be completely truthful about something by changing or omitting some facts

"He is bending the truth."

"The politician bent the truth about his past achievements to make himself look more impressive to the voters."

to try to deceive a person by doing or saying something that misleads or confuses them

"He is just blowing smoke."

"The suspect was just blowing smoke when he claimed to have evidence that would prove his innocence completely."

a story, explanation, or excuse that is hard to believe

"His story was a Canterbury tale."

"His story was a Canterbury tale and no one believed a word of his unlikely adventures."

to illegally change the financial records of a company or organization for personal gain

"He tried to cook the books."

"The accountant decided to cook the books to hide the company's massive financial losses."

an attempt to persuade someone to do or believe something using deception or flattery

"The salesman gave her a snow job."

"The salesman gave her a snow job with exaggerated claims about the car's fuel efficiency."

used for emphasizing how easily a person is fooled or deceived

"He believed it hook, line, and sinker."

"The scam artist convinced the investors to part with their money, and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

to provide someone with false, altered, or misleading information

"She threw dust in his eyes."

"The politician tried to throw dust in the voters' eyes by making false promises during the campaign."

to make someone reveal information by questioning them repeatedly or cleverly

"I finally wormed the secret out of her."

"The clever lawyer managed to worm the truth out of the reluctant witness during cross examination."

to deliberately kill a person

"He took him for ride."

"The dishonest mechanic took the elderly couple for a ride by charging them for repairs that their car did not need."

to begin to feel that there might be something wrong or dishonest about a situation

"I smell a rat, something is wrong with this deal."

"When the deal seemed too good to be true I started to smell a rat and decided to investigate further."

behavior that is mischievous, dishonest, or unacceptable

"Stop the monkey business and work."

"Stop the monkey business and work instead of fooling around at your desks."

used to refer to a person who behaves in an untrustworthy or deceitful way

"That man is crooked as a dog's hind leg."

"Everyone in town knows that the landlord is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and cannot be trusted."

to make a person believe something that is not true

"He led me up the garden path."

"The charming stranger led the elderly woman up the garden path and convinced her to give him all her savings."

a deceptive marketing tactic where a product or service is advertised at a low price to attract customers, but is then substituted for a more expensive or inferior option

"The store used a bait and switch tactic."

"The store advertised a cheap laptop but it was a bait and switch because they tried to sell me a much more expensive model instead."

a situation where something seems impressive or important, but is actually just a distraction from something else

"His plan is all smoke and mirrors."

"The politician's promises were just smoke and mirrors designed to win votes without any real plan to achieve them."

to cheat someone in a clever and often unexpected way

"He pulled a fast one on me."

"The dishonest mechanic tried to pull a fast one by charging me for repairs that my car did not actually need at all."

something that appears free but actually costs something in a hidden or indirect way

"There is no free lunch."

"There is no free lunch and everything comes at a cost even if it is not obvious."

a person who imitates the actions, clothes, ideas, etc. of someone else

"Stop being a copycat!" the child shouts."

"The children called him a copycat because he always wore the same clothes as his older brother."

a story, explanation, or excuse that is hard to believe

"That is a Canterbury tale."

"His elaborate excuse about being abducted by aliens sounded like a ridiculous Canterbury tale designed to avoid responsibility."

to deceive a person, often in order to steal their money

"They took me for a ride."

"The con artist managed to take his elderly victim for a ride, convincing her to invest in a fraudulent scheme."