Lie straight in bed

Posted by Baceseras on April 28, 2008 at 13:57:

In Reply to: Lie straight in bed posted by Craig Passmore on April 28, 2008 at 07:43:

: I have been wondering what the following phrase means,"He/she is such a liar, they couldn't lie straight in bed". I just don't get it, if you could help, it would be appreciated.

'Crooked', meaning bent out of shape, not straight, has been in the English language as long as the English language. Its figurative sense ("with reference to moral character and conduct," as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it) has accompanied the literal sense right from the start. The quip, "... couldn't lie straight in bed," refers to dishonesty in this way; it says that the liar is crooked through and through.