(no subject)

[qopqop.livejournal.com]

Господа, есть ли в английском устойчивое словосочетание, эквивалентное нашему "ложь во спасение". Подчеркиваю: не буквальный перевод, а именно идиома или устойчивое словосочетание.

Comments

[ensignru.livejournal.com]

a white lie?

[pm771.livejournal.com]

According to Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie) (and I tend to agree):

A white lie is a lie which, although a lie, is harmless. A common example of a white lie is, "You look marvelous", at least when the person who makes the statement believes it to be false and does intend that the other person believe the statement to be true.

[sergeykharitich.livejournal.com]

+1

[haraz-bey.livejournal.com]

http://www.multitran.ru/c/m.exe?HL=2&L1=2&L2=1&EXT=0&s=%EB%EE%E6%FC+%E2%EE+%F1%EF%E0%F1%E5%ED%E8%E5

[clittary-hilton.livejournal.com]

an interesting obesrvation is that pious perjury means exactly ложь во спасение, and also has that religious tinge... but ложь во спасение seems to be often used in a positive sense (please correct me if I am wrong), whereas "pious perjury" is almost always a pejorative remark... in this sense, "white lie" is much closer to the Russian expression