cherry-pick
Take only best
Cherry-pick is to select only the best or most favorable items from a larger set, leaving the rest.
The image is of someone going through a cherry tree taking only the ripest fruit.
The term often carries negative connotations—suggesting unfair selectivity or distortion through omission: He cherry-picked statistics to support his argument.
In computing, cherry-picking means selecting specific commits from one branch to apply to another.
Select individually with care
- curateSelect and present thoughtfully
- selectCarefully pick from options
- chooseSelect from alternatives
- cullSelective removal
pluck · extract · winnow · sift · opt · prefer · identify · highlight
Superior select group
- exclusiveLimited to one group
- selectiveChoosing with care
- restrictiveImposing narrow boundaries
- gatekeepingControlling access to something
limited · curated · premium · privileged · insider · handpicked · vetted · screened
Collected numerical information
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
- omissionFailure to include
distortion · misquote · out-of-context · spin · propaganda · anecdotal · unrepresentative · skewed
Preferential treatment of some
- partialityUnfair favor toward some
- selectivityTendency to choose carefully
- one-sidednessImbalanced viewpoint or treatment
- skewTwist from straight
slant · distortion · manipulation · spin · misrepresentation · agenda · prejudice · unfairness
handpick
Select individually with care
- curateSelect and present thoughtfully
- selectCarefully pick from options
- chooseSelect from alternatives
cull · pluck · extract · winnow · sift · opt · prefer · identify · highlight · prioritize
elite
Superior select group
- exclusiveLimited to one group
- selectiveChoosing with care
- restrictiveImposing narrow boundaries
gatekeeping · limited · curated · premium · privileged · insider · handpicked · vetted · screened · filtered
statistics
Collected numerical information
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
omission · distortion · misquote · out-of-context · spin · propaganda · anecdotal · unrepresentative · skewed · manipulated
favoritism
Preferential treatment of some
- partialityUnfair favor toward some
- selectivityTendency to choose carefully
- one-sidednessImbalanced viewpoint or treatment
skew · slant · distortion · manipulation · spin · misrepresentation · agenda · prejudice · unfairness · inequity
gather
Bring or come together
reap · glean · extract · procure · obtain · derive · capture · secure · amass · accumulate
- choiceschoice, choose, decide, decision, select
- selection wordschoose, select, handpick, single out, cull
- fast breakfast break, breakaway, breakaway dunk, outlet pass, run and gun
- version controlcommit, merge, branch, pull, push
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- first choicefavorite, number one, first dibs, dibs, priority
cherry-pickrandom sampling
Selecting by pure chance
holistic approach · take the rough with the smooth · across-the-board · non-selective · unselective