# liar liar pants on fire **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 2001, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liar-liar-pants-on-fire/97380 "2001-12-07T04:51:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![knock\_knock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@knock\_knock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knock_knock)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2001, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liar-liar-pants-on-fire/97380/1 "2001-12-07T04:51:42Z")
What does having your pants on fire have to do with being a liar, other than the fact that it rhymes? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liar-liar-pants-on-fire/97380/2 "2001-12-07T04:54:39Z")
What do cats have to do with fiddles, other than sounding silly and amusing small children? I haven’t exactly done research into the meanings of children’s rhymes, but I don’t think there’s any “deep meaning” to “liar, liar, pants on fire.” It just sounds good. It’s a nonsense verse. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2001, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liar-liar-pants-on-fire/97380/3 "2001-12-07T04:57:22Z")
Maybe because sometimes, when people lie, the fidget or move around a lot? Kind of like someone who has their pants on fire, I would think. Although, if my pants were on fire, I don’t think I’d lie about it 🙂 As for the next line, at least the way I knew it, “hanging from a telephone wire” probably just means its obvious. In other words, “you’re lieing and I can tell because you’re moving around and fidgetting and it’s just _so_ obvious to anyone looking”.