Inflected lying, lied. Forms: Infin. 1 léoʓan, 2 leioȝen, 2–5 liȝe-n, 3 lege, (imper. lih), 4 ley(e, lei, lije, li, 3–7 ly, 3–8 lye, 4 leighe, leiȝe, lyghe, lyeȝe, leie, 4–5 leȝe, 4–6 ley, Sc. le, 5 ly(ȝ)yn, 5–6, 9 Sc. and north. lee, 4– lie. Ind. Pres. 2nd sing. α. 3 Orm. leȝhesst, 4 liȝest, leyest, lex(s)t, lixt(e, 4–5 lyest, 3– liest, β. north. and Sc. 4 lighes, leies, lies, 4–5 lyes, 4–6 leis. 3rd sing. a. 1 léoʓeþ, líhþ, 3 lih(e)ð, ligeð, leȝeð, legheþ, Orm. leȝheþþ, 4 liȝ(e)þ, lyeþ, leiþ, leighth, leȝth, lyeȝ(e)th, lihth, likth, 5 lith(e, 3– lieth. β. 4 liges, leies, leyes, 5 lijs, leghes, 6 Sc. leis, 4– lies, 3rd pl. 6 Sc. lene, leyne. Pa. t. α. 1 léah, léaʓ, (pl. luʓon), 2–3 luȝe, 3 leh, læh, lighgh, 3–4 lowe, 4 leigh, legh, ligh, lygh. β. 4 liȝed(e, leiȝede, leeȝide, liede, lyede, leghed, lei(e)d, lieid, 4–6 Sc. leit, leyt, 4–7 lyed, leid, 7 Sc. leed, 4– lied. Pa. pple. α. 1 loʓen, 2–3 i-loȝe(n, loȝen, 3 i-lowe, 3–4 y-low(e, loun, 4 lowe(n, leiȝen. β. 4 liȝed, Sc. leyt, 5 lyet, 4– lied. [A Com. Teut. str. vb. (in Eng. conjugated weak from the 14th c.): OE. léoʓan (léah, luʓon, loʓen) corresponds to OFris. *liaga, *liatza (recorded in 3rd sing. pres. ind. liucht, pa. t. sing. subj. lege), OS. liogan, liagan (Du. liegen, loog, gelogen), OHG. liogan, loug, lugun, gelogen (MHG. liegen, louc, gelogen, mod.G. lügen, log, gelogen), Goth. liugan, ON. liúga (Sw. ljuga, Da. lyve), f. Teut. root *leug- (: laug- : lug-), whence LIE sb.1; cogn. w. OSl. lŭža lie.]
1. intr. To tell a lie or lies; to utter falsehood; to speak falsely.
971. Blickl. Hom., 29. Se awerʓda gast … sona leah.
c. 1050. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 401/1. Fefellisset, þa þa he leaʓ.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 91. Þu hauest iloȝen þan halie gaste. Ibid., 93. Ne luȝe þu na monnum! Ibid., 153. Hwenne þe muð is open for to liȝe.
c. 1200. Vices & Virtues (1888), 9. Ðar ðu luȝe, ðu lease dieuel.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 131. He þe neure ne lihgh ne lige ne wile.
c. 1200. Ormin, 5190. Þu leȝhesst, & beswikesst swa þin aȝhen wrecche sawle.
c. 1205. Lay., 17684. Þus læh [c. 1275 leh] þe laðe mon.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1431. Mit se swiðe lufsome leores ha leien.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 236. Þu liest, cweð heo, fule þing.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 3348. He adde so foule ilowe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5143 (Cott.). Þou lighes [Gött. lies, Fairf. lyes, Trin. lyest] now, eber pantener!
1340. Ayenb., 63. Kvead þing hit is to lyeȝe.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxv. (Julian), 206. My gud brethyre, quhy lest ȝou le?
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 264. In whiche autorite he seide soþ & in whiche he leiȝede.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXI. 351. Þow lowe tyl eue.
c. 1394. P. Pl. Crede, 542. Þou leyest, & þou lext.
c. 1400. Gamelyn, 297. Thou lixt, seid Gamelyn, so broke I my chyn.
1483. Cath. Angl., 216/1. To Lye (A. Lee), commentari.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. Prol. 233. Les than wyse autouris lene [ed. 1553 leyne].
1567. Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.), 193. I say, ȝe leit euerie one.
1581. Sidney, Apol. Poetrie (Arb.), 52. As I take it, to lye, is to affirme that to be true which is false.
1678. Bunyan, Pilgr., I. 7. It was made by him that cannot lye.
a. 1784. Johnson, in Boswell, an. 1781 (1848), 670/1. He lies, and he knows he lies.
1885. Burton, Arab. Nts. (1886), I. 263. I lied against myself and confessed the theft, albeit I am altogether innocent of it.
b. To lie of (arch.), † on, † upon: to tell lies about.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 287. Of þo pine þe þere bued nelle ic hou nout leioȝen.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 68. And te unwreste bliðeliche lieð on þe gode.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 39. Forȝet ti folc þat liheð þe of weres & worldes wunne.
c. 1275. Passion of Our Lord, 241, in O. E. Misc., 44. A ueole kunne wise hi lowen him vp-on.
c. 1305. St. Andrew, 28, in E. E. P. (1862), 99. Þu wost wel mid alle Þat þu þerof loude lixt.
c. 1330. Amis & Amil., 838. He leighth on ous, withouten fail.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 142. Manye men liȝen of þe wounde of þe nose.
1508. Dunbar, Flyting w. Kennedie, 138. Thocht thow … thus vpoun me leid.
1559. Aylmer, Harborowe, L 2. The smarts of the tormentes made him to confesse it, and lye of him self.
1580. J. Hay, Demandes, in Cath. Tractates (1901), 59. Quhy ar ye nocht esscheamed … to lie on wss in your preachings, saying [etc.].
1629. Earle, Microcosm., Modest Man (Arb.), 80. Whosoeuer dare lye on him hath power ouer him.
1864. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., IV. 409. Nobody was more lied of.
1871. R. Ellis, trans. Catullus, lxvii. 20. They lie on her [L. falsum est].
c. Proverbial expressions. For to lie in one’s teeth, throat, to lie like a trooper, see the sbs.
a. 1400. Pistill of Susan, 317. Nou þou lyest in þin hed.
a. 1529. Skelton, Merie Tales, v. Wks. 1843, I. p. lx. He … woulde lye as fast as a horse woulde trotte.
1530. Palsgr., 610/2. He wyll lye as fast as a dogge wyll trotte.
1588. Marprel. Epist. (Arb.), 21. Bishops will lye like dogs.
2. fig. Chiefly of inanimate objects: To present false statements; to convey a false impression; to make a deceitful show.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 451. ÐÐe boc ne leȝeð noȝt of ðis.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5054. For quen þe tan þe toþer sei Na wight moght þair blodes lei. Ibid., 14702. Þe hali writte lies [Trin. lyeþ] na wight.
1426. Lydg., De Guil. Pilgr., 22376. The merour lyed verily.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 320 b/2. The Philosophers were brought to this that they sayd … that the elementys lyeden or god of nature suffred.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. Prol. 270. This wther buik … So frenschlie leis, oneth twa wourdis gais richt.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., I. 587. The Sun, who never lies, Foretels the Change of Weather in the Skies.
1732. Pope, Ep. Bathurst, 340. Where London’s column, pointing at the skies, Like a tall bully, lifts the head, and lies.
3. quasi-trans. † a. with cogn. obj. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16067. Mani lesing had þai loun again iesu þat dai.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVIII. 400. Þi lesynge … þat þow lowe [v.rr. leighe, leyȝ] til Eue.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., II. iii. 150. Many lesingis y haue herd him lie.
c. 1500. Wyl Bucke’s Test. (Copland), A ij b. My tounge that neuer lied lesinge.
† b. To say or allege falsely. Obs.
a. 1300. Seven Sins, ix. in E. E. P. (1862), 18. O worde ic ȝou lie nelle.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, i. (Petrus), 512. Þu leis all þat þou sais.
c. 1450. Merlin, i. 11. How sholde I … enioyne the penance for thynges which I wene thow lyest veryly.
c. With adv. or phrase: To take away by lying; to get (a person, etc.) into or out of by lying.
1720. T. Gordon, Humourist, I. 175. I have known great Ministers rail’d and ly’d out of their Places.
1755. J. Shebbeare, Lydia (1769), II. 44. Slandering women of reputation, and endeavouring to lye away their characters.
1762. Foote, Lyar, I. Wks. 1799, I. 290. If you don’t one time or another … lye yourself into some confounded scrape, I will consent to be hanged.
1784. R. Bage, Barham Downs, I. 48. Every one would tell his story, his own way, and combine to lye an honest lawyer out of his bread.
1858. Sir J. Kaye, Hist. Afghan War, I. 204. The character of Dost Mohamed was lied away.
1865. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., XII. vii. (1872), IV. 177. The tragically earnest meaning of your Life, is quite lied out of you, by a world sunk in lies.
1884. Punch, 6 Dec., 276/2. Go on tamely to allow yourself to be lied into Party blindness.
† 4. trans. To give the lie to. Obs.
1389. in Eng. Gilds (1870), 87. If any broþer or syster dispyse or mysconsel or lye his broþer.
c. 1450. Robin Hood & Monk, xiv. in Child, Ballads, III. 97/2. With þat Robyn Hode lyed Litul Jon.
1464. Waterford Arch., in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 331. He lied and rebuked the balif, to the great contempt of the King.
