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# massaging the numbers

phrase (verb phrase: massage the numbers / figures / data)

«massaging the numbers» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

(euphemism, jargon) changing or choosing figures to make results look better than they really are.

### In the lessons

Used to accuse companies, governments or people of misleading with statistics. Register: jargon, informal; all regions.

### Examples

- The company was accused of massaging the numbers.
- News: Critics say the government is massaging the crime figures.
- Chat: «massaging the numbers» = cheating with stats
- Teacher: In science, never massage your data.
- He massaged the numbers to make his sales look higher.

### Note

It's not a real massage. It is a polite way to say «cheating with numbers». In maths and science, honest data matter. Plain words: manipulating numbers.