vranyo

Etymology
, from (contrasted with ).

Noun

 * 1) White lies or half-lies in Russian culture, told without the intention of (maliciously) deceiving, but as a fantasy, suppressing unpleasant parts of the truth.
 * 2) * 2006, Leonard J. Stanton, James Daniel Hardy, Interpreting Nikolai Gogol Within Russian Orthodoxy, page 26:
 * And, after uttering the witty bit of vranyo, Gogol repaired the social lie at once by concluding "Nevsky Prospekt" with the admonition:
 * Oh, do not trust that Nevsky Prospekt! ... the devil himself lights the street lamps to show everything in false colors.
 * Oh, do not trust that Nevsky Prospekt! ... the devil himself lights the street lamps to show everything in false colors.