Meaning of economical with the truth | Babel Free

Definitions

Not telling the whole truth, especially in order to present a false image of a situation; untruthful; lying. Often used with sarcasm or satire.

euphemistic, idiomatic

Examples

“I would be acting economical with the truth if I were to tell you that I was enjoying myself.”

“A senior British civil servant, arguing that the book ‘Spycatcher’ should not be published, let slip how ‘being economical with the truth’ is an option in matters of government policy. The phrase became a headline in Australia, highlighting, as much as anything, British duplicity. In fact, it originated with Edmund Burke, the eighteenth century statesman and constitutional theorist. […] In effect, the idea of ‘being economical with the truth’ underlines the challenge any manager or public servant faces – that unguarded, inappropriate, or even appropriate comment can lead to damaging and undesirable reactions.”

“So, I am now asking you, was he economical with the truth? Bearing in mind you are now telling us that there were heaps of telephone conversations, things that you described elsewhere as “lovely” conversations, “nice” conversations, “interesting” conversations and that when politicians ring you, you take notice.”

“There was one overriding technique used by both sides to dupe the public, and it was the deliberate omission of key information about any demoralising incident, operation or battle, such as facts about their own or even the enemy's losses. […] This approach can probably be best described as ‘being economical with the truth’ – a phrase whose literal meaning has rather been lost over the years, as it has rather erroneously come to signify telling outright lies.”

CEFR level