torture

if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything

If you manipulate your data, you can make it prove anything you want. I'm suspicious of his research. I mean, if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything! But is any of it accurate and unbiased?

See also: anything, confess, data, if, long, to, torture, will

torture (one) into (doing something)

To force, compel, or coerce one into doing something through the use of torture techniques. It has come to light that the corrupt police officer had tortured dozens of criminals into giving information that led to the capture of the mob boss. The autocracy has begun torturing its citizens into complying with its authoritarian methods.

See also: torture

tortured artist

cliché A visual artist, writer, film auteur, etc., who grapples with constant mental anguish or depression, especially when it is derived from or contributes to their art. He's always acting like some kind of tortured artist, but I think he's just a miserable person who likes being pretentious. The painter was known to be a tortured artist, having spent time in psychiatric hospitals due to his depression and mania.

See also: artist, torture

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

torture someone into something

to force someone to do something through the use of torture. (More severe than torment someone into something.) The agents threatened to torture me into telling the secrets, so I gave in immediately, of course. Max tried to torture the old prospector into telling where the gold was hidden.

See also: torture

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