lie detector
Preserved but no longer current.
An American invention which records the heart-beats of a man under questioning. It has been found that a human being cannot tell a he without the pulse of his heart increasing, and this increase of pulsation is recorded. In some States of the Union the findings of this machine are accepted as legal evidence.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “lie detector” mean?
An American invention which records the heart-beats of a man under questioning. It has been found that a human being cannot tell a he without the pulse of his heart increasing, and this increase of pulsation is recorded. In some States of the Union the findings of this machine are accepted as legal evidence.
Is “lie detector” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.