fib
A little lie, usually the soft kind Mama calls out.
Also called fibbin'.
Updated September 21, 2026
fib pronunciation
/FIB/
Meaning
An untruth that is small enough you might get away with a grin. On a rural Southern porch, calling it a fib softens the hit compared with flat-out "lie." Kids hear "quit fibbin'" more than courtroom language. The verb form is fib or fibbin'.
How folks use it
- “Don't fib to me about who ate the last piece of pie.”
- “That story about the three-foot bass was a fib and everybody knew it.”
Origin and etymology
English slang from the mid-1500s, maybe clipped from older "fible-fable" for nonsense. Not born in the South, but Southern and Appalachian family talk kept it as the gentle word for a small lie long after city speech leaned harder on "lie" or "BS."
Frequently asked questions
Is a fib the same as a lie?
Same basic idea. Fib just sounds smaller and less mean when you say it out loud.