stretch the truth en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To exaggerate, often to the point where the truth is obscured or lost.
It would stretch the truth, but perhaps not tear it to tatters, to say that World War II was fought over oil.
1996 Fall, “From Sykes-Picot through Bandung to Oslo: Whither the Arab world?”, in Arab Studies Quarterly, volume 18, number 4, page 1:You think they exaggerate sometimes? You think they embellish things, stretch the truth, play loose with the facts?
2003 November 9, Jim Armstrong, “NFL players skilled at other sports”, in Houston Chronicle, Sports, page 2:"And you suspect them of stretching the truth? Or shrinking the truth?"
2009, Eric Kraft, Flying:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| stretching the truth | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| stretches the truth | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| stretched the truth | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| stretched the truth | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (18)
fr exagérer (idioms: to exaggerate) · hy գույները խտացնել (idioms: to exaggerate) · fr charrier (idioms: to exaggerate) · fr pousser le bouchon (idioms: to exaggerate) · cmn 誇張 /夸张 (idioms: to exaggerate) · vi bẻ cong sự thật (idioms: to exaggerate) · ru сгуща́ть кра́ски (idioms: to exaggerate) · ru преувели́чивать (idioms: to exaggerate) · fr abuser (idioms: to exaggerate) · ba арттырыу (idioms: to exaggerate) · ru извраща́ть пра́вду (idioms: to exaggerate) · de mit der Wahrheit großzügig umgehen (idioms: to exaggerate) · pt exagerar a verdade (idioms: to exaggerate) · fr en faire des caisses (idioms: to exaggerate) · cmn 言過其實 /言过其实 (idioms: to exaggerate) · es exagerar (idioms: to exaggerate) · fi venyttää totuutta (idioms: to exaggerate) · hy չափազանցնել (idioms: to exaggerate)