the greatest lie
Preserved but no longer current.
In Heywood's Four PV, an interlude of about 1543, a Palmer, a Par- doner, a Poticary, and a Pedlar disputed as to which could tell the greatest lie. The Palmer said he had never seen a woman out of patience; whereupon the other three P's threw up the sponge, saying such a falsehood could not possibly be outdone.
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 “the greatest lie” mean?
In Heywood's Four PV, an interlude of about 1543, a Palmer, a Par- doner, a Poticary, and a Pedlar disputed as to which could tell the greatest lie. The Palmer said he had never seen a woman out of patience; whereupon the other three P's threw up the sponge, saying such a falsehood could not possibly be outdone.
Is “the greatest lie” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.