Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thumb on the scale

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.95 in modern English

Syllables: thum-b on the s-cale
IPA

27

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An act of bias or a tactic for cheating which creates a situation that unfairly benefits one party involved in an interaction.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I'll try to give an impartial account without putting my thumb on the scale."
"[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."
"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."
""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.""

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.

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

thumbs on the scale (plural) thumbs on the scales (plural) thumb on the scales (alternative)

Phrases

tip the scales

Frequently Paired Words

tip the scales

Questions

What does thumb on the scale mean?: An act of bias or a tactic for cheating which creates a situation that unfairly benefits one party involved in an interaction.
Where does thumb on the scale come from?: 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.

How to pronounce thumb on the scale

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