To give the lie to

To give the lie to
Give Give (g[i^]v), v. t. [imp. {Gave} (g[=a]v); p. p. {Given} (g[i^]v"'n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Giving}.] [OE. given, yiven, yeven, AS. gifan, giefan; akin to D. geven, OS. ge[eth]an, OHG. geban, G. geben, Icel. gefa, Sw. gifva, Dan. give, Goth. giban. Cf. {Gift}, n.] 1. To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to yield up or allow. [1913 Webster]

For generous lords had rather give than pay. --Young. [1913 Webster]

2. To yield possesion of; to deliver over, as property, in exchange for something; to pay; as, we give the value of what we buy. [1913 Webster]

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? --Matt. xvi. 26. [1913 Webster]

3. To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks. [1913 Webster]

4. To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc. [1913 Webster]

5. To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission. [1913 Webster]

It is given me once again to behold my friend. --Rowe. [1913 Webster]

Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

6. To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to show; as, the number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship. [1913 Webster]

7. To devote; to apply; used reflexively, to devote or apply one's self; as, the soldiers give themselves to plunder; also in this sense used very frequently in the past participle; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study. [1913 Webster]

8. (Logic & Math.) To set forth as a known quantity or a known relation, or as a premise from which to reason; -- used principally in the passive form given. [1913 Webster]

9. To allow or admit by way of supposition. [1913 Webster]

I give not heaven for lost. --Mlton. [1913 Webster]

10. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge. [1913 Webster]

I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover. --Sheridan. [1913 Webster]

11. To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain. [1913 Webster]

12. To pledge; as, to give one's word. [1913 Webster]

13. To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc. [1913 Webster]

But there the duke was given to understand That in a gondola were seen together Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

14. To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{To give away}, to make over to another; to transfer. [1913 Webster]

Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. --Atterbury.

{To give back}, to return; to restore. --Atterbury.

{To give the bag}, to cheat. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

I fear our ears have given us the bag. --J. Webster.

{To give birth to}. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea.

{To give chase}, to pursue.

{To give ear to}. See under {Ear}.

{To give forth}, to give out; to publish; to tell. --Hayward.

{To give ground}. See under {Ground}, n.

{To give the hand}, to pledge friendship or faith.

{To give the hand of}, to espouse; to bestow in marriage.

{To give the head}. See under {Head}, n.

{To give in}. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party.

{To give the lie to} (a person), to tell (him) that he lies.

{To give line}. See under {Line}.

{To give off}, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc.

{To give one's self away}, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [Colloq.]

{To give out}. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare. [1913 Webster]

One that gives out himself Prince Florizel. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Give out you are of Epidamnum. --Shak. (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors.

{To give over}. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self). [1913 Webster]

The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. --Grew.

{To give place}, to withdraw; to yield one's claim.

{To give points}. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [Colloq.]

{To give rein}. See under {Rein}, n.

{To give the sack}. Same as {To give the bag}.

{To give and take}. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc.

{To give time} (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. --Abbott.

{To give the time of day}, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as ``good morning.'' ``good evening'', etc.

{To give tongue}, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs.

{To give up}. (a) To abandon; to surrender. ``Don't give up the ship.'' [1913 Webster]

He has . . . given up For certain drops of salt, your city Rome. --Shak. (b) To make public; to reveal. [1913 Webster]

I'll not state them By giving up their characters. --Beau. & Fl. (c) (Used also reflexively.)

{To give up the ghost}. See under {Ghost}.

{To give one's self up}, to abandon hope; to despair; to surrender one's self.

{To give way}. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent.

{To give way together}, to row in time; to keep stroke.

Syn: To {Give}, {Confer}, {Grant}.

Usage: To give is the generic word, embracing all the rest. To confer was originally used of persons in power, who gave permanent grants or privileges; as, to confer the order of knighthood; and hence it still denotes the giving of something which might have been withheld; as, to confer a favor. To grant is to give in answer to a petition or request, or to one who is in some way dependent or inferior. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • give the lie to something — formal phrase to show that something is not at all true These figures give the lie to the notion that people are spending less. Thesaurus: to try to show that an idea or belief is wrongsynonym Main entry: lie * * * give the lie to sth …   Useful english dictionary

  • give the lie to something — give the lie to (something) formal to show that something is not true. The high incidence of cancer in the region surely gives the lie to official assurances that the factory is safe …   New idioms dictionary

  • give the lie to — (something) formal to show that something is not true. The high incidence of cancer in the region surely gives the lie to official assurances that the factory is safe …   New idioms dictionary

  • give the lie to — ► give the lie to serve to show that (something assumed to be true) is not true. Main Entry: ↑lie …   English terms dictionary

  • give the lie to — DISPROVE, contradict, negate, deny, refute, rebut, controvert, belie, invalidate, discredit, debunk; challenge, call into question; informal shoot full of holes, shoot down (in flames); formal confute, gainsay. → lie * * * phrasal …   Useful english dictionary

  • give the lie to something — formal to show that something is not at all true These figures give the lie to the notion that people are spending less …   English dictionary

  • To give the lie to — Lie Lie (l[imac]), n. [AS. lyge; akin to D. leugen, OHG. lugi, G. l[ u]ge, lug, Icel. lygi, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]gn, Goth. liugn. See {Lie} to utter a falsehood.] 1. A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • give the lie to — {v. phr.}, {literary} 1. To call (someone) a liar. * /The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during the robbery./ 2. To show (something) to be false; prove untrue. * /The boy s dirty face gave the lie to his answer… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • give the lie to — {v. phr.}, {literary} 1. To call (someone) a liar. * /The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during the robbery./ 2. To show (something) to be false; prove untrue. * /The boy s dirty face gave the lie to his answer… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • give\ the\ lie\ to — v. phr. literary 1. To call (someone) a liar. The police gave the lie to the man who said that he had been at home during the robbery. 2. To show (smth) to be false; prove untrue. The boy s dirty face gave the lie to his answer that he had washed …   Словарь американских идиом

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