A: Why are you home so late?

    B: I went to study at the library after school today.

    A: OK, I smell smoke. Maybe that’s because someone’s pants are on fire.

    Note: “Pants on fire” has its root in the rhyme: Liar! Liar! Pants on fire! In this rhyme, children are told that if they tell a lie, their pants will catch fire. This is a warning against lying, similar to calling a liar by the name of Pinocchio. Pinocchio has a great sense of shame and whenever he tells a lie, he grows uneasy and his nose grows longer due to that stress. If people catch someone lying, they sometimes say, “You’d better watch out. Your nose is getting longer.” Or, similarly, they may chant the children’s taunt: Liar! Liar! Your pants are on fire!