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Glite Dictionary
to give line

to give line

8.8
Say something untrue to distract people from the truth
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : dar información falsa
  • She kept giving line to the reporters, hoping to keep them away from the real issue.

Examples

  • Whenever she's late, she starts giving line about traffic or broken elevators.

  • He realized someone was giving line just to buy some time.

  • Don't give line to the rumors!

  • She always gives line when asked about her past.

  • He realized someone was giving line to distract him from the meeting details.

  • In her interview, she kept giving line about her qualifications to avoid questions about her experience.

  • Whenever he's questioned about the project's status, he starts giving line to deflect criticism.

Synonyms

to mislead
vsto give line
87 3.9

Make someone believe something that is not true

focuses more on diverting attention than only causing false belief
to misinform
vsto give line
35 4.8

To give someone wrong information, often by mistake

usually intends to deceive or distract rather than being accidental
to misdirect
vsto give line
5 6.0

To send someone the wrong way or give wrong directions

relies more on diversion than on providing false factual details
to give a line
vsto give line
  • Informal
8.0

To tell someone a false story to impress or trick them

often uses distraction or diversion as well as false stories

Antonyms

to tell the truth
814 2.7

Say what really happened without hiding facts or lying

How Deceptive

to fabricate
50 7.3
lie
∞ 2.7
to give line
  • Informal
8.8
to mislead
87 3.9

Surface Forms

give line infinitive
gave line past
given line past participle
giving line present participle
gives line third person singular

Morphology

give + line

The sense can be partially inferred from 'give' (to supply) plus 'line' (a practiced persuasive or deceptive spiel), so a learner who recognises that noun sense of 'line' could guess it means supplying a misleading remark. However, the specific deceptive/ distracting nuance of 'line' is somewhat idiomatic and low-frequency; the exact pragmatic use is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Give line may come from the idea of offering a baited fishing line to someone; when they take the bait, they are busy with the line and do not see what else is happening. So give line now means 'to provide false information or a distraction'.