What are examples of bold-faced lies?

Answer 1

Examples of "bold faced lies" will vary depending on the situation. The lie is one that both people (the teller and the victim) know is a lie. Typically the person who was lied about would be the one to exclaim, "That's a bold faced lie!" But, the teller of the lie says the lie to gain power, to embarrass, to feel superior, etc. Therefore, telling bold faced lies can be a form of bullying, or at minimum, "teasing".

The worst part about these kinds of lies is that the victim usually cannot defend him or herself. There were no witnesses and it's a 50-50 chance that others will believe the lie. So, these kinds of lies can be very damaging to the victim, who gets hurt by the liar.

Examples:

1: Sally tells the teacher she saw Johnny cheating on the test the class just took. Sally says this loudly in front of other students. Johnny knows he didn't cheat-- he has strong values and would never cheat on a test! Johnny yells, "You take that back, Sally-- that's a bold faced lie!" If the teacher had been distracted, she might think she should believe Sally. If the teacher trusts Johnny, the teacher likely won't believe Sally. Either way, the damage has been done; Johnny feels embarrassed; many students now wonder if he did cheat; and Sally got the attention she wanted. Finally, weeks later, Sally claims she was "just teasing" Johnny.

2. Johnny took a girl to the early movie last night and took her home by 11 pm. The girl is petite, quiet, and enjoys writing poetry. She's often shunned in school. But Johnny thought she was pretty and she was easy to talk to. He really likes her... but HIS friends start teasing him. So, feeling attacked by his friends, he makes up lies about the girl, claiming she did sexual things with him before she went home. The friends, of course, start talking about the girl and how she was "so easy". When the girl heard kids talking about her, she burst into tears and cried, "That's a bold faced lie! I don't do that!"

3. Johnny has never liked his Aunt Sarah-- she gives him the creeps with how she talks and the way she acts. His Aunt Sarah means well, but she does have some problems. For example, Johnny's mother says this Aunt has a gambling problem and loses lots of money playing slot games. But, no one in the family confronts her--ever. On a weekend visit, Aunt Sally boasts that she's brought enough money with her to buy Johnny and his siblings presents. But just before they leave to go shopping, Aunt Sarah comes rushing out of her room saying, "It's gone! It's gone!" Then, she accuses Johnny of stealing her money!! It's a bold faced lie... but... Johnny has no alibi. He was home alone for a few hours, and Aunt Sarah claims that must be when Johnny went into her purse and took her money. The "stolen money" story gets told throughout the extended family... and even years later, no one trusts Johnny!

Like I said bold-faced lies can be very damaging -- even to characters in books.