Historical clue formulations

• "I had something come up," maybe — 2025-08-20
• Fudge the facts — 2025-02-16
• Cover story? — 2025-02-12
• Taradiddle — 2024-11-03
• Small invention — 2024-10-26
• Minor prevarication — 2024-05-09
• "I'm busy that night," often — 2024-03-20
• Do some making up — 2023-02-05
• Piece of fudge? — 2022-12-18
• "Traffic was terrible," maybe — 2022-08-17
• Little 19-Across — 2022-05-05
• "You've hardly aged a bit," usually — 2022-02-17
• Whopper junior? — 2021-05-03
• Mistruth — 2021-04-11
• "Of course it looks good on you!," maybe — 2021-02-27
• Make stuff up — 2020-12-16
• Little lie — 2020-12-08
• "This tastes delicious!," maybe — 2020-01-11
• Do a little stretching? — 2019-07-10
• Bit of fudge? — 2019-06-08
• Subtract a year or two from one's age, say — 2019-05-23
• Little lie — 2019-04-22
• Little untruth — 2018-12-26
• Bit of baloney — 2018-02-18
• Statement made while crossing the fingers, maybe — 2017-12-31
• Something that might be said with fingers crossed behind the back — 2017-10-16
• Lie a little — 2016-04-19
• Small invention — 2016-02-28
• Casual invention — 2015-12-05
• Not a very big invention — 2014-09-04
• Little lie — 2014-05-13
• Small story — 2013-10-24
• "I didn't know I was speeding, officer," e.g. — 2013-07-24
• Taradiddle — 2013-03-13
• Little untruth — 2012-07-04
• White lie — 2011-12-25
• It's not a very big story — 2011-02-04
• Trumped-up bit — 2009-02-07
• It's more than a stretch — 2008-11-09
• It may be said while crossing the fingers — 2008-01-17
• Tiny tale — 2007-10-03
• Little lie — 2006-05-01
• Tiny untruth — 2006-04-03
• Inconsequential invention — 2005-12-31
• Not be entirely truthful — 2005-12-14
• Little white lie — 2005-01-24
• Little lie — 2003-04-21
• Bit of baloney — 2002-09-10
• Do a little stretching? — 2002-06-30
• Minor invention — 2000-10-19