bend the truth

bend the truth

To alter, omit, or tailor certain elements of a story to suit one's own needs, intentions, or desires. He always bends the truth so he never gets in any trouble. Politicians often bend the truth to make themselves look better and their opponents look worse.
See also: bend, truth
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

bend the ˈtruth

say something that is not completely true: In the end he admitted bending the truth. He had written part of the report, but he hadn’t finished it.
See also: bend, truth
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • at will
  • accommodate (someone's) wishes
  • make (something) to order
  • make to order
  • get past
  • get past (oneself)
  • made to order
  • suit oneself
  • suit oneself to do
  • Suit yourself
References in periodicals archive
Friends enjoy being entertained by you but take care not to bend the truth. Are you single and looking for love?
Anytime you bend the truth to support an agenda, you do more harm than good.
That they are dishonest and that they lie or bend the truth. In my experience it's quite the opposite.
' This is a blatant attempt to bend the truth and deliberately confuse the facts to immorally mobilise American public opinion against Palestinians.
Now I know to some extent we all at the least bend the truth and, at the worst, tell outright lies.
Which is why I shall continue to 'bend the truth' for everyone's benefit.
I respect him also because he never tells lies, even though you can bend the truth in football when the result allows you to."
In a world ready to bend the truth (2 Timothy 4:3-4), the message is clear: The wider our realm of influence, the greater our responsibility to live out and speak the truth.
If the story is a serious one involving history, politics or crime, then we owe it to the audience to be as truthful as possible and not to bend the truth for dramatic effect.
There have never been so many opportunities to zoom in on our flaws - so to beat the holiday photo blues we've been checking out the latest ways to cheat because while the camera never lies, it can bend the truth.
To suggest so would be to bend the truth even if this constant need to slash his wage bill was another of those contributory factors.
Some of my readers will recall my mention of how a Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy told me just after the Gezi incidents that seeing Erdoy-an so easily bend the truth about consuming alcohol and doing illicit things in a mosque, he was worried about such a terrible plan.
This is to bend the truth in an attempt to hoodwink the public into its acquiescence of the industry's, often ill-conceived, schemes to maximise their profits at the expense of electricity consumers.