A white lie is a small harmless untruth told to spare someone's feelings. Tell a white lie.
The white is doing the excusing, and it stops being white when it saves you trouble. A white lie about a present is expected and about anything else is a risk.
1phrasewhite lieA small harmless untruth told to spare someone's feelings.
“It was a white lie about the haircut and it held for a week.”
white lie is a lie.
Practised in Idioms