"Please avoid brutal honesty!"

LIETOME

Think of a polite request to bend the truth, often heard when someone wants to spare feelings—it’s a two-word phrase squished together.

The clue plays on the phrase "lie to me," which is a polite way of asking someone to avoid being too honest. "Please avoid brutal honesty!" hints at wanting a softer, less truthful response—essentially a lie. The answer "LIETOME" is a direct, slightly informal phrasing of that request, with the words merged together for the crossword format.