From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(I) tell a lie(I) tell a lieBritish English spokenCORRECT used when you realize that something you have just said is not correct It was £25, no, tell a lie, £35. → lie
Examples from the Corpus
(I) tell a lie• They fight viciously and tell lies to get each other into trouble.• However, telling lies to the police is assisting in the retention of stolen goods: Kanwar, above.• No, I tell a lie.• We can not tell a lie, so we confessed we were getting way too many.• For one thing, telling a lie is like eating peanuts. 