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La mentira tiene patas cortas

 

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings.


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  #1  
Old January 07, 2011, 10:41 AM
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La mentira tiene patas cortas

I am looking for an English phrase to say meaning "la mentira tiene patas cortas". This phrase is used to say that a lie can't get far because the liar will soon be caught entangled in a lot of contradictions. Sometimes is used as "gotcha!"
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  #2  
Old January 07, 2011, 12:01 PM
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Oddly there is no English phrase that matches this.
A lie will catch up with you
You know, honesty is the best policy
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Last edited by poli; January 07, 2011 at 06:01 PM. Reason: I accidentally left out a crucial word (UP)
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Old January 07, 2011, 12:05 PM
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I suppose that phrase is a colloquial phrase of your original city.
Then I can give you a hist about that phrase in my way.


The the drunk always says the true.

Sincerely yours.
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Old January 07, 2011, 02:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo View Post
I suppose that phrase is a colloquial phrase of your original city.
Then I can give you a hist about that phrase in my way.


The drunk always says the truth.

Sincerely yours.
En inglés decimos: in vino veritas
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Old January 07, 2011, 03:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aleCcowaN View Post
I am looking for an English phrase to say meaning "la mentira tiene patas cortas". This phrase is used to say that a lie can't get far because the liar will soon be caught entangled in a lot of contradictions. Sometimes is used as "gotcha!"
Busted!

Liars don't get very far.
Liars never get very far.
Lying won't get you anywhere.
Lying gets you nowhere fast.
You won't get (very) far lying.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott

The truth will out.
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Old January 08, 2011, 03:22 AM
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I can find attributed to Sophocles the saying "A lie never lives to be old", which may serve (although it's not a frase hecha).
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Old January 08, 2011, 04:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pjt33 View Post
I can find attributed to Sophocles the saying "A lie never lives to be old", which may serve (although it's not a frase hecha).
Actually, the fragment 64 of Sophocles could be much more relevant than that: (I can't get the accents right)

αλλουδεν έρπει ψευδος εις γηρας χρόνου δηλον γαρ

the noun ψευδος is a lie
the verb έρπει (breathed έ) means to crawl (cf. herpes, [s]erpent)

Literally, for it is clear that a lie never crawls to old age.

How about that?
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Old January 08, 2011, 08:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poli View Post
En inglés decimos: in vino veritas
It was completely different to my commentary.
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Old January 08, 2011, 10:59 AM
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Thank you very very much guys!

So I have a saying by Sophocles that says almost the same, but not frase hecha and, I add, without sharing the same language level.

I can use one sentence in a large collection that covers almost every situation. Most of them have their counterpart in Spanish.

La honestidad es la mejor política.
Una mentira acabará por atraparte.
Los mentirosos (nunca) llegan muy lejos.
Mintiendo no se consigue/logra nada.
Las mentiras te llevan pronto a un callejón sin salida.

And about veritas:

Los niños y los borrachos siempre dicen la verdad.
In vino veritas (high side) / El vino te suelta la lengua (low side)
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Old January 08, 2011, 11:26 AM
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modismo:
"Antes se pilla al mentiroso que al cojo"
saludos
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