# economical with the truth

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/economical-with-the-truth
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- He was economical with the truth about why he arrived late.
- You are being economical with the truth about who ate the last cookie.
- The manager was being economical with the truth when he claimed the project was on schedule despite the missing data.
- My brother was being economical with the truth when he told our parents that the car's engine just stopped working on its own.
- The politician was notoriously economical with the truth, carefully omitting key details to ensure the public remained unaware of the impending budget cuts.

## Origin

Believed to be from a quotation by the British-Irish statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke (1729–1797): “Falsehood and delusion are allowed in no case whatever: But, as in the exercise of all the virtues, there is an œconomy of truth. It is a sort of temperance, by which a man speaks truth with measure that he may speak it the longer.” (disputed)

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.