What is the meaning of "crunchy facts"?

Question

HiI came across the word "crunchy facts".I looked up in dictionary but it only gives the meaning of crunchycrunchy = food that is crunchy is firm and makes a noise when you bite itBut what does it mean when used with "fact"?Which sort of facts crunchy can be used for?Please help me with this crunchy word!

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Sometimes advertisers and media folk create custom expressions for temporary application - sort of like nonce words. I presume the purpose is to dress up their gab, making it more attractive, so they can hit the boss up for a raise.

If you can give us more context, perhaps we can figure it out. (Facts about cookies?)

Best regards, - A.

Thomas_Anderson · Answer

AvangiSometimes advertisers and media folk create custom expressions for temporary application - sort of like nonce words. I presume the purpose is to dress up their gab, making it more attractive, so they can hit the boss up for a raise.

If you can give us more context, perhaps we can figure it out. (Facts about cookies?)

Best regards, - A.

Thanks Avangi for the prompt reply.

I came across this word in The Economist December 11th, 2008 issue in the article "In Praise of Facts".
Writer has criticised British Government for making primary curriculum less challenging.
He says this will only make Britain's children to lag behind in education.

Here is the excerpt :

"But other hard, fact-filled subjects—history, geography and so on—will be compressed to make room for the sloppy, politically correct mush.

So, children, here are some crunchy facts. Spending on education has more than doubled in a decade, but standards have stalled as New Labour has conspired with its friends in the teachers’ unions to dumb down exams and meet performance targets. One in five pupils still leaves primary school unable to read and write effectively. Britain is sliding down the world’s literacy league tables (it does better at maths, which thankfully remains ringfenced). You cannot teach children everything. But that is no excuse for teaching them nothing much at all."

You can view the article http://www.economist.com/opinion/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=12773115.
Please help me with my confusion.

BarbaraPA · Answer

He thinks of "hard"data like geography, math, science, etc. and "soft"topics that don't further education (in his opinion). If you eat too much "mush" without "solid food" your teeth decay. He's using all this metaphorically, to say that there's too much "soft" learning and it's taken out time for "hard" learning. Something "crunchy" would be hard data.
It's a giant metaphor.

Avangi · Answer

Hi Thomas, That helps. I think I may be on the right track.

Accountants, statisticians, people who collect facts and reduce them to percents and ratios, etc., are often referred to as "number crunchers," and what they do is referred to as "number crunching."

Your author is setting up an image and playing it for all it's worth, comparing hard, fact-filled school subjects (of which he approves) with sloppy, politically correct mush (of which he disapproves.)

Now he's going to give us some statistics to prove his point. He addresses the readers as "children," practicing what he's preaching, and giving us the hard facts. (some solid numbers) - Like Rush Wimbag addressing his radio audience, "So you see, boys and girls, - - - "

I'm quite sure he has cooked up the expression "crunchy facts" especially for this article, using it as a synonym for "hard facts."

- A.

Edit. Hmmm. I see GG sliped in ahead of me! Her evoking the expression "hard data" is most apt. Sorry, Tom, I didn't mean to get political. The Economist is a great read.

Thomas_Anderson · Answer

Your explanation is really great.
Thanks a lot Grammar Geek.

Thomas_Anderson · Answer

Once again, thanks Avangi.
Now I understood the expression.
Thanks for the cooperation guys!

What is the meaning of "crunchy facts"?

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