pants on fire
Fibber's alleged combustion
Pants on fire accuses someone of lying, from the children's taunt Liar, liar, pants on fire.
The phrase usually appears in that fuller form or as a modifier: a pants-on-fire falsehood.
Fact-checkers use it as their highest rating for false statements: PolitiFact rated the claim pants on fire.
- liar liarEmphatic accusation of dishonesty
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- little white lieMinor harmless falsehood
- PinocchioLying wooden puppet
- white lieHarmless minor falsehood
truth stretcher · tall tale · fraudster · falsehood · con artist · fabrication · bluff · hoax · whopper · flaming · deception · misrepresentation · pretense · burning · scorching · smoldering · urban legend · blaze
- clothing idiomsfit like a glove, dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, at the drop of a hat, old hat
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- Playground Insultsbaby, brat, crybaby, dummy, dork
- tauntstaunts, taunt, taunting, neener neener, insults
truthfulness
pants on firehonest
Free from deception
truthful · candid · sincere · straight shooter · on the level
moral character assessment
pants on firestraight arrow
Honest, principled person
stand-up guy · upstanding · virtuous · honorable · trustworthy