Hello,

In Chapter xi of Part I of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, the UM claims that he is "lying like a cobbler." (Pevear & Volokhonsky's translation of я вру как сапожник).

My question: is this referencing some kind of Russian folk tale or proverb?

I thought perhaps it might refer to the Arabian Nights, which depicts a cobbler who tells the truth, but whom no one believes. I know FD alludes to the Arabian Nights in some of his other works, but I wasn't sure if there was a more obvious allusion in this particular case.

спасибо!