lie detector

See also: lie-detector

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From lie +‎ detector. First use appears c. 1909. See cite below.

Noun

lie detector (plural lie detectors)

  1. (informal) A device designed to detect or indicate when a person is lying by measuring and recording several physiological variables.
    Synonyms: pathometer, polygraph
    • 1909, Charles Edmonds Walk, The Yellow Circle, page 69:
      It is a lie detector; with its aid one can plumb the bottomless pits of a chap's subconscious mind, and fathom all the mysteries of his subliminal ego.

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