dubious tallies

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dubious tallies" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to counts or records that are questionable or unreliable. Example: "The report was based on dubious tallies that raised concerns about its accuracy."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Dubious tallies?

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Assad had just won reëlection, receiving more than eighty-eight per cent of the vote — a dubious tally for a society in revolt.

The New Yorker

Dubious vote tallying was the immediate cause of the upheaval.

The New York Times

Epstein and his colleague Juan Antonio Montecino look at exactly how families, taxpayers and businesses get ripped off by dubious financial activities and tally up the costs in a new paper for the Roosevelt Institute, "Overcharged: The High Cost of Finance".

Huffington Post

The amplest tallies of these dubious local projects are $10 billion a year -- a fortune to ordinary mortals, but half a penny on the dollar for the feds.

The New York Times - Magazine

The Democratic Party was believably accused of electoral fraud of every description from voter suppression to pre-programming machines to "vote shift", putting a set percentage of Candidate A's votes in Candidate B's tally, always in Hillary's favor, producing a dubious Clinton "win".

Huffington Post

The Baggies striker, the leading English scorer in the league this season, eventually increased his tally to five league goals, although it was a dubious penalty.

BBC

Zenit progess with the lowest points tally since Milan went through with five points in 94-95 aNapolioli equal PSG's dubious record of reaching 12 points but failing to progress in 97-98.

The Guardian - Sport

Dubious prospects.

The New York Times - Sports

Again, dubious.

The Economist

Insights: dubious.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "dubious tallies", ensure the context clearly indicates what makes the tallies questionable. Providing specific reasons enhances credibility.

Common error

Avoid using "dubious tallies" when "uncertain" or "preliminary" would be more accurate. "Dubious" implies a strong reason for disbelief, not just a lack of complete information.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "dubious tallies" functions as an adjective-noun construction. The adjective "dubious" modifies the noun "tallies", indicating that the counts or records are questionable or suspicious. Ludwig AI affirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "dubious tallies" is a grammatically sound and usable expression to denote counts or records of questionable validity. Primarily found in news and media contexts, as confirmed by Ludwig AI, it serves to express skepticism regarding the accuracy of reported figures. While not a highly frequent phrase, understanding its nuances and appropriate alternatives like "questionable figures" or "suspect counts" will enhance clarity and precision in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

questionable figures

Replaces "tallies" with "figures" emphasizing the numerical aspect and "dubious" with "questionable", highlighting doubt.

suspect counts

Substitutes "dubious" with "suspect", implying a stronger level of distrust in the reported numbers or calculations.

unreliable numbers

Replaces "tallies" with "numbers" and "dubious" with "unreliable", suggesting that the figures cannot be trusted.

doubtful calculations

Focuses on the process of calculation rather than the result, implying that the method used is flawed or untrustworthy.

fishy statistics

Uses the informal term "fishy" to suggest something is wrong or suspicious with the provided statistical data.

inaccurate records

Shifts the focus to the records themselves, indicating they contain errors or misrepresentations.

dubious calculations

Focuses on the calculations being suspicious rather than the counts.

questionable sums

Emphasizes the sums being presented as untrustworthy or uncertain.

unverified figures

Highlights that the figures have not been checked or confirmed, making them potentially unreliable.

imprecise counts

Focuses on the lack of precision in the counting process, leading to potentially inaccurate results.

FAQs

How can I use "dubious tallies" in a sentence?

You can use "dubious tallies" to describe counts or measurements that are questionable or unreliable. For example, "The election results were based on "dubious tallies", leading to widespread protests."

What can I say instead of "dubious tallies"?

Alternatives to "dubious tallies" include "questionable figures", "suspect counts", or "unreliable numbers" depending on the context.

What makes tallies dubious?

Tallies can be considered dubious due to various reasons, such as flawed methodology, biased data collection, or potential manipulation. Clear communication of these reasons is critical.

Is "dubious tallies" a formal phrase?

While "dubious tallies" is acceptable in many contexts, consider using more formal alternatives like "questionable figures" or "unverified data" in academic or professional settings.