tell lies out of thin air (/the void) ❍ 这杨大郎名唤杨先彦，绰号为铁指甲，专一粜风卖雨，～，挝着人家本钱就使。(《金瓶梅》 九十二)This elder son of the Yang family was called Yang Xianyan whose nickname was Iron Nail. His sole pursuit in life was to stir up trouble and tell lies out of thin air and spent others’ capital whenever he could lay his hands on it.