A missprint?

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Of course, the spies' new assessment may be wrong, as their previous ones proved to be. But it is most unlikely to be a tissue of lies.

Is it an issue of lies?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 528 • Replies: 9

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No -tissue of lies is correct. It is a phrase that means thin veneer.

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and misprint is spelt this way.

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Probably since the women of the "new" Stone Age started weaving, both reality and stories about reality have been compared to cloth.

"Tissue" is a very thin, delicate fabric that must be handled very carefully or it will tear. A "tissue of lies" is a story with so many flaws that it won't accept careful examination.

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Noddy24 wrote:

Probably since the women of the "new" Stone Age started weaving, both reality and stories about reality have been compared to cloth.

"Tissue" is a very thin, delicate fabric that must be handled very carefully or it will tear. A "tissue of lies" is a story with so many flaws that it won't accept careful examination.

Nice one, Nodders! I like that. You spin a fine yarn. Smile

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McTag--

You're a charmer, a devastating charmer.

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Quote:

"Tissue" is a very thin, delicate fabric that must be handled very carefully or it will tear.

Not necessarily. The French verb tisser, means "to weave", so "tissue" literally just means "woven material". You can have silver or gold tissue, for example, which are strong and quite heavy, being metallic.

Quote:

A "tissue of lies" is a story with so many flaws that it won't accept careful examination.

No. Conformable with the etymology of the word, a "tissue of lies" is a story woven out of lies, just as silver tissue is woven out of silver. It may be very skilfully woven, and be able to stand up to quite close examination without the falsehood being detected.

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Looks like I'm not the only pedant on these threads.

I prefer Noddy's explanation, anyway.

My heavy dictionary says (second meaning): "Now applied to various or fine stuffs of delicate or gauzy texture (1740)"

and (fourth meaning) "something likened to a woven fabric: a 'fabric', 'network', 'web' (of things abstract, usu. of a bad kind, as absurdities, lies, etc) (1711)

So Noddy has been right for something like 300 years. Good going, girl! Smile

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McTag--

You and I reason in English and lack Gallic salt.

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syntinen wrote:

Quote:
"Tissue" is a very thin, delicate fabric that must be handled very carefully or it will tear.

Not necessarily. The French verb tisser, means "to weave", so "tissue" literally just means "woven material". You can have silver or gold tissue, for example, which are strong and quite heavy, being metallic.

The etymology of a word only describes its kin, Syntinen. All languages borrow words, but the meaning doesn't necessarily have to follow.

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A missprint?

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