Meanings
alternative what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive
- When one tells a simple lie, it may become necessary to tell more complex lies, eventually spiraling out of control and leading to the exposure of the deceit.
Synonyms: lies beget more lies
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseWhen one tells a simple lie, it may become necessary to tell more complex lies, eventually spiraling out of control and leading to the exposure of the deceit.
Origin
Attributed to canto 6, stanza 17 in the poem Marmion (1808) by Sir Walter Scott: "O what a tangled web we weave/ When first we practice to deceive"
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20a%20tangled%20web%20we%20weave%20when%20first%20we%20practice%20to%20deceive
“what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20a%20tangled%20web%20we%20weave%20when%20first%20we%20practice%20to%20deceive. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20a%20tangled%20web%20we%20weave%20when%20first%20we%20practice%20to%20deceive.
Source: what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.