spin doctor

spin doctor

One who manipulates information, often by attempting to present negative news as being somehow positive. The campaign's spin doctors somehow made the candidate's poor performance in the debate look like a sign that he was the more relatable candidate.

See also: doctor, spin

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

spin doctor

someone who gives a twisted or deviously deceptive version of an event. (Usually in the context of manipulating the news for political reasons.) Things were going bad for the candidate, so he got himself a new spin doctor. A good spin doctor could have made the incident appear far less damaging.

See also: doctor, spin

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

spin doctor

An individual charged with getting others to interpret a statement or event from a particular viewpoint, as in Charlie is the governor's spin doctor. This term, born about 1980 along with spin control, uses doctor in the colloquial sense of "one who repairs something."

See also: doctor, spin

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spin doctor

n. someone who provides an interpretation of news or an event in a way that makes the news or event work to the advantage of the entity employing the spin doctor. (Usually in political contexts in reference to manipulating the news.) Things were going bad for the president, so he got himself a new spin doctor.

See also: doctor, spin

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.