Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Antes se pilla al mentiroso que al renco.»
Word for word
Sooner one catches the liar than the lame one.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: The liar is caught before the limping man.
A regional variant of the 'liar and lame man' proverb, heard in parts of Latin America. It carries the same warning that lies are exposed quickly.
Hear it in a sentence
Antes se pilla al mentiroso que al renco, y tu cuento ya tiene grietas.
The liar is caught before the limping man, and your story already has cracks.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your exact level.