Phrases-Ideas

Phrases used in conversations and texts which convey the idea of Honesty - Dishonesty


above board : If a situation or business is described as above board, it is open, honest and legal.
There are not secret negotiations.  Our dealings have always been above board.

 barefaced liar: Someone who lies easily, with a total lack of shame, is a barefaced liar.
That barefaced liar stole my watch and said he'd found it!

bend the truth: If you bend the truth, you say something that is not entirely true.
Ok, I bent the truth a bit.  I told him it was my natural colour, but I didn't say that my hairdresser helped me to keep it natural!

benefit of the doubt: If you give someone the benefit of the doubt, you choose to believe that the person is innocent, honest or telling the truth, because there is no evidence to the contrary.
Although he found it hard to believe Tom's explanation, the teacher decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

black market:The black market refers to the illegal buying and selling of goods or currencies.
Be careful of what you buy on the black market - it's not always good quality.

break every rule:If you behave in a completely unacceptable way, you break every rule in the book.
Our competitors obtained the contract by breaking every rule in the book.
buy a lemon:If buy something, especially a car, that is defective, unsatisfactory, constantly gives trouble or stops running after a short time, you buy a lemon.
The car I bought was a real lemon.  It broke down two weeks later.

in cahoots with someone: If one person is in cahoots with another, they are working in close partnership, usually conspiring to do something dishonest.
There was a rumour that the Mayor was in cahoots with a chain of supermarkets.

cards on the table:If you put your cards on the table, you speak honestly and openly about your feelings and intentions.
Let's clean the air and put our cards on the table.

catch red-handed:If a person is caught red-handed, they are caught while they are doing something wrong or illegal.
The police arrived as the burglar was leaving the house.  He was caught red-handed.

cook the books:A person who cooks the books is one who changes the facts or figures in the financial accounts, often in order to steal money.
The actor discovered after a while that his agent was cooking the books.

crooked as a dog's hind leg: To say that someone is as crooked as a dog's hind leg means that they are very dishonest indeed.
He can't be trusted - he's as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

daylight robbery: The term daylight robbery is used when the price of something is thought to be much too high.
100 Rs for an orange juice? That's daylight robbery!

economical with the truth: To say that a person is economical with the truth means that, without actually lying, they omit important facts or give incomplete information.
The politician was accused of being economical with the truth.

Words with similar prefix

Words starting with prefix COM / CON


combine
put or add together
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Artistic integrity combined with savvy pop production has a way of building such rare consensus and knocking down genre and demographic boundaries.
—Chicago Tribune (Feb 3, 2012)

 combination
a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The combination of rising utility bills and higher-than-average healthcare has residents starting to think coal may not be king after all.
—Forbes (Jan 24, 2012)

 comfort
the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
"Things are never so hard as you think they'll be," said his wife in an effort at comfort.
—Kauffman, Reginald Wright

 compact
a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The new treaty, commonly known as the fiscal compact, was agreed at a summit.
—New York Times (Jan 31, 2012)

 complement
make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Working in tandem, the two have complemented each other’s styles nicely in churning out yards, with Bradshaw bringing shiftiness and Jacobs bringing power.
—New York Times (Dec 15, 2011)

 concord
a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Grotius was, however, animated by an ardent desire for peace and concord.
—Various

 conclave
a confidential or secret meeting
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
They follow up circuses and picnics, and make it a point to attend all big gatherings, such as county fairs, races, conclaves, and congresses.
—Flynt, Josiah

 confluence
a place where things merge or flow together (especially rivers)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
It's a familiar narrative, yet each story is unique, contingent on the confluence of talent and fashion, context and vision.
—Slate (Jan 9, 2011)

 congregate
come together, usually for a purpose
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
In another game, the stands caught on fire, interrupting play as evacuating fans congregated at the 50-yard line.
—New York Times (Jan 27, 2012)

 congregation
an assemblage of people or animals or things collected together
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The congregation, on Easter Sunday afternoon, after which service the cakes are given, is always very large, many persons coming from the surrounding villages.
—Andrews, William

 connect
connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
At one time this palace was actually connected with the cathedral by a covered gallery crossing the street.
—Conybeare, Edward

 consensus
agreement in the judgment or opinion reached by a group as a whole
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
But while the diplomats struggled to find consensus in New York, Syrian forces continued to pound away at rebel positions.
—New York Times (Jan 31, 2012)

 convene
meet formally
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The expected announcement will come just days before the Washington state legislature was scheduled to convene for its next session.
—Reuters (Jan 3, 2012)

The Group word

Idea: Friendly


Definition: intimate, companionable

Synonyms:
affable,
affectionate,
amiable,
amicable,
attached,
attentive,
auspicious,
 beneficial,
benevolent,
benign,
buddy-buddy,
chummy,
civil,
close,
clubby,
comradely, 
conciliatory,
confiding,
convivial,
cordial,
faithful,
familiar,
favorable,
fond,
genial,
good,
helpful,
kind,
kindly,
loving,
loyal,
neighborly,
on good terms,
outgoing,
peaceable,
peaceful,
propitious,
receptive,
sociable,
solicitous,
sympathetic,
tender,
thick,
welcoming,
well-disposed

The group words

Idea: Hard Working


Words:
assiduous,
by the book, 
by the numbers, 
careful, 
conscientious, 
assiduous, 
dedicated, 
diligent, 
persevering, 
sedulous, 
diligent, 
earnest, 
strenuous,
thoroughgoing