mas|sage

mas|sage «muh SAHZH», noun, verb, -saged, -sag|ing.

–n.

1. a rubbing, striking and kneading of the muscles and joints to make them work better and to increase the circulation of blood; rubdown: »

The person who gives the massage should…have a knowledge of human anatomy (W. W. Bauer).

2. Figurative: »

A weak one will accept the kudos because his indifferent performance…creates in him a real need for ego massage (New Yorker).

–v.t.

1. to give a massage to: »

Let me massage your back for you.

2. to treat flatteringly: »

“Sometimes in the past,” he said, “this convention has seemed to me just to massage the prejudices of the delegates” (New York Times).

3. to manipulate or alter (facts or numbers) in order to influence conclusions: »

Planners massaged the statistics to win a bigger subsidy for the new stadium.

╂[< French massage friction, kneading < Middle French masse dough, mass¹]

–mas|sag´er, noun.