The phrase “鯖を読む” (To read the mackerel.) means to manipulate numbers, like age or price, to one’s advantage, often to appear better or give a favorable impression in conversations or negotiations.
The origin of this phrase is believed to come from the practice of counting mackerel in trade, where accuracy was often sacrificed for speed due to the fish’s perishable nature.
Example sentence
年齢を聞かれたけど、つい鯖を読んでしまった。 I was asked about my age, and I ended up fudging the numbers a bit.
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