APAD: Economical with the truth

Meaning:

Conveying an untrue version of events by leaving out the important facts. A

euphemism for lying, in short.

 

Background:

Recorded from the 18th century, although rarely used. It was brought into the

contemporary language by the UK Cabinet Secretary, Sir Robert Armstrong, who

used the phrase during the Australian 'Spycatcher' trial in 1986.

 

     Lawyer: What is the difference between a misleading impression and a lie?

     Armstrong: A lie is a straight untruth.

     Lawyer: What is a misleading impression - a sort of bent untruth?

     Armstrong: As one person said, it is perhaps being "economical with the truth".

 

What Armstrong left out (perhaps he knew but was being economical) was that the

'one person' was Edmund Burke. In 1796 Burke wrote:

 

     "Falsehood and delusion are allowed in no case whatsoever: But, as in the

     exercise of all the virtues, there is an economy of truth."

 

In 1992, Alan Clark was cross-examined during the Matrix Churchill case and

embroidered the phrase a little:

 

     Clark: Well it's our old friend "being economical", isn't it?

     Lawyer: With the truth?

     Clark: With the actuality.

 

- www.phrases.org.uk

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It's not just politicians and criminals who go routinely economical with the

truth. They make the front page but story-telling is an important social skill

for everyone. Husbands, e.g., by definition are prone to conserve resources,

truth included.

 

It's not what you say, but how you say it, we often hear. In order to make some

truth palatable, one has to bend it. A blatant lie is almost always a bad bet

but one can fib or be more politic by leaving out harmless details. This is the

water in which we all swim.

所有跟帖： 

• Another good writeUp. Way to go 7G兄！reminds me of the term -最西邊的島上- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 09:03:00

• selective memory+"U Can't Handle the Truth! " in aFewGoodMen -最西邊的島上- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 09:06:19

• Thanks, Comrade 西島! The phrase is very useful and we need -7grizzly- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 09:25:43

• to practice :-) -7grizzly- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 09:26:00

• This reminds me the "blah blah" episode in Seinfeld. LOL. -矽穀居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 09:20:56

• Couldn't find it. Seinfeld's good. Soup Nazi stands out :-) -7grizzly- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 09:31:19

• Oops, my bad. It's "The Yada Yada". -矽穀居士- ♂ (52 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 15:56:38

• 模仿一個：“Economical with compliments.”可以這麽說嗎？好玩兒的表達：） -妖妖靈- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 12:54:04

• Absolutely! I think. :-) -7grizzly- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 13:15:16

• 嘿嘿，剛學會，就在樓下現躉現賣了一下：） -妖妖靈- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 13:21:16

• Right on! 現躉現賣, 再躉再賣，常躉常賣! -7grizzly- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 13:51:55

• 哈哈哈哈，We should ask 5 Whys of 西遊記裏81難的成因, -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 13:13:57

• By all means. And we invent more if needed :-) -7grizzly- ♂ (0 bytes) () 04/28/2024 postreply 13:19:07

• Agree. It is an important skill. Learned some new words. Thx -天邊一片白雲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/30/2024 postreply 06:55:42