Whirly, Agreed, its much better to tell the truth, but I would rather someone called and asked for a training fix rather than didn't call at all. People do all sorts of odd things and make all kinds of odd decisions under stress. I think that is why the terminology "training fix" was introduced a few years ago.
Further point on calling 121.5 when you don't have an emergency: Even when you have listened to the frequency for some minutes and it seems quiet, always make your first call short. During an actual emergency there is often sparce RT on 121.5, and you won't always know if they are handling an emergency until you call.
Remember what the RAF say: "You've never been lost until you've been lost at mach two"