Dictionary

thumb on the scale en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

An allusion to a butcher who cheats customers by surreptitiously using a thumb to apply extra pressure to the scale when weighing meat to calculate the price of a sale.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, uncountable, usually) An act of bias or a tactic for cheating which creates a situation that unfairly benefits one party involved in an interaction.
   • I'll try to give an impartial account without putting my thumb on the scale. 1982, Emory A. Griffin, Getting Together, →ISBN, page 68:
   • [E]ven to characterize these cases as affirmative action is misleading. What critics often present as a thumb on the scale for "less qualified" individuals may in fact reflect only necessary adjustments in the way the scale is calibrated. 1991, Deborah L. Rhode, Justice and Gender, →ISBN, page 187:
   • Ron Kirk, the US trade representative, accused Beijing of putting a "giant thumb on the scale" by restricting exports of commodities including silicon, coke and zinc, to give Chinese manufacturers an unfair advantage. 2009 June 23, “China and US head for trade war”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 01 Nov 2015:
   • "The data show that the television campaign ads this money buys put a thumb on the scale in criminal cases, and undermine the promise of equal justice." 2014 October 22, Derek Willis, “‘Soft on Crime’ TV Ads Affect Judges’ Decisions, Not Just Elections”, in New York Times, retrieved 01 Nov 2015:

Forms

Relateds

tip the scales