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3. make up out of whole cloth

make up out of whole cloth

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make something up out of whole cloth

Fig. to fabricate a story or a lie. That's a lie. You just made that up out of whole cloth. That's a lie. You just made up that story out of whole cloth.

See also: cloth, make, of, out, up, whole

make something up out of whole cloth

  (American) also invent something out of whole cloth (American)

if a story or excuse is made up out of whole cloth, it is not true Yet the explanation was too strange for Joan to have made up out of whole cloth.

See also: cloth, make, of, out, up, whole