What does "cherry picking" actually mean?

Asked by: Lillie Kuvalis IV  |  Last update: February 19, 2026
Score: 4.2/5 (40 votes)

"Cherry picking" means selectively choosing the best, most favorable, or most supportive items from a larger group, while ignoring the rest, often to present a biased or misleading picture that favors a particular argument or outcome. It's like picking only the ripest cherries from a tree and ignoring the unripe ones to make the whole batch look better.

What does "cherry picking" mean in slang?

In slang, cherry-picking means selectively choosing only the best, easiest, or most favorable examples/data to support an argument while ignoring contradictory evidence, creating a biased or incomplete picture, like picking only the ripe, red cherries from a tree and leaving the rest. It's often used pejoratively to suggest unfairness or manipulation, implying someone is presenting a skewed view for personal gain or to win an argument, not to be objective.
 

Is cherry picking a negative term?

Cherry picking as a term is quite negative, as it implies that the person doing the cherry picking is trying to deceive the audience, or simply does not care about the facts. When applied to subjects like medicine and science, cherry picking is considered "bad science". or a sign of pseudoscience.

What is the cherry picking theory?

Cherry picking is the deliberate practice of presenting the results of a study or experiment that best support the hypothesis or argument, instead of reporting all the findings (Morse, 2010, p. 1 ).

What is the meaning of cherry 🍒 in texting?

Here are some common interpretations: Playfulness or Flirtation: The cherry emoji is often used in a playful or flirty manner, suggesting attraction or a lighthearted vibe. Sweetness: Cherries are sweet fruits, so the emoji can symbolize something sweet or cute, possibly indicating affection.

Is Uber Cherry Picking Worth It? 100%! But...

39 related questions found

Why is cherry picking considered a bad practice?

Cherry picking has a negative connotation as the practice neglects, overlooks or directly suppresses evidence that could lead to a complete picture. Cherry picking can be found in many logical fallacies.

Is cherry picking frowned upon?

Disapproval of cherry picking stems from the fact that the cherry picker is not playing the "complete" game and accumulates statistics for points scored that exaggerate the player's prowess.

Do I have to push after cherry picking?

When you cherry picked all the commits you need, the only thing left to do is push your branch with git push . You now have the changes of another branch available on your own branch with the correct attribution to the person who wrote that piece of code. Of course there's more you can do with this cherry-pick command.

How to counter a cherry-picked argument?

How to respond to the cherry-picking fallacy

  1. Identify and call it out: Point out that the argument is based on selective evidence. ...
  2. Present the missing evidence: Provide the omitted information or data that contradicts the cherry-picked evidence.

What propaganda technique is also called cherry-picking?

DISTORTION OF DATA or OUT OF CONTEXT or CARD STACKING or CHERRY PICKING: This technique is used to convince the audience by using selected information and not presenting the complete story.

What is the cherry-picking rule?

This is known as the “cherry-picking” rule. Underpinning this rule is the need to prevent a party from choosing to rely upon (by disclosing) favourable aspects of its otherwise privileged material, while avoiding disclosing less favourable aspects by continuing to assert LPP over documents or parts of them.

What does 🍒 mean from a guy?

From a boy, the 🍒 cherry emoji can mean playful flirting, sweetness, youthfulness, or, more suggestively, relate to virginity or a body part, while two cherries on one stem often signals a committed relationship or best friends, so context and the number of cherries are key to understanding his intent.
 

What does it mean to pop a 🍒?

"Pop a cherry" (or "pop your cherry") is slang for losing one's virginity, but it also broadly means doing something for the first time, often something new or exciting, like skydiving or trying a new food, reflecting the "first experience" connotation. The term's origin links the cherry's red color and fragility to the hymen and first sexual intercourse, but its usage has expanded beyond sexual contexts to cover any significant new activity. 

What does 🍒 mean in the body?

You're talking about your private parts. Like a lot of emojis, 🍒 has a naughty meaning besides a tasty a summer fruit. It can reference your derrière, breasts, or testicles—basically any private part that comes in a pair. “That baseball hit him right in the 🍒”

Is cherry picking a foul?

Cherry picking is legal in organized basketball, but some amateur leagues consider it a violation, penalized by loss of possession and any resulting points.

Can I revert a cherry pick?

The steps to revert a cherry-pick you made by mistake are as follows: Find the commit hash of the commit that you want to move back to. You can use git log or git reflog commands to find the hash. Use the git reset command to return the branch pointer to the commit prior to the cherry-pick.

What are the 5 steps of Git?

5 First steps with Git

  1. 5.1 Creating a Git repository. Let's git started! ...
  2. 5.2 Status, staging and committing. 5.2. ...
  3. 5.3 Cheatsheet. Command. ...
  4. 5.4 Acknowledgements & further reading. We would like to express our gratitude to the following resources, which have been essential in shaping this chapter.

Why can't you wear 69 in the NBA?

The NBA doesn't have an official rule banning the number 69, but it's unofficially prohibited due to its explicit sexual connotations, leading the league to deny players like Dennis Rodman when they requested it, forcing them to choose numbers like 70 instead. While numbers 00-99 are generally allowed, #69 is considered inappropriate for the league's image, preventing its use by players.
 

Is cherry picker a slur?

"'Cherry Picker' is a racial slur that was used against my family and me when we migrated to Utah from Mexico. This selfie performance is meant to provoke thought about where our food comes from, who's doing the labor, and how unjust immigration laws create inequality—a question that takes on new meaning today.

Is cherry picking commit bad?

git cherry-pick is a useful tool but not always a best practice. Cherry picking can cause duplicate commits and many scenarios where cherry picking would work, traditional merges are preferred instead.

What are common cherry pick mistakes?

Overreaching. Overreaching is a common mistake people make when using a cherry picker. This can occur when operators attempt to reach objects that are too far away from the access platform. When operators reach too far, they risk losing their balance and falling, or causing the cherry picker to tip over.

Is cherry picking manipulative?

In psychological terms, cherry-picking is a manipulative tactic that can exploit existing cognitive biases in observers, leading them to accept incomplete information. The term "cherry-picking" originates from the simple act of a berry picker selecting only the ripest and most appealing fruits.

How do you say "cherry pick" professionally?

Synonyms of cherry-picked

  1. selected.
  2. select.
  3. favorite.
  4. preferred.
  5. handpicked.
  6. chosen.
  7. favored.
  8. picked.