cherry pick

English

to cherry pick (third-person singular simple present cherry picks, present participle cherry picking, simple past and past participle cherry picked)

(idiomatic) To select only the best from a range of options.
- 1980, Television/radio age, Volume 28, page 80:
  Those stations that will send CNN tapes of their local and regional news for CNN to cherry-pick from, in turn will be allowed to cherry-pick themselves.
- 2005, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, The PC Way to Pick Winners, v. 59, no. 4, page 44:
  Screeners can help you cherry-pick a promising group of stocks that meet your exact specifications.
- 2008, Donna Andrews, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much, page 98:
  "We're not offering you a chance to cherry-pick the Caerphilly Zoo to fill in the gaps in your own collection.
(US, idiomatic, sports) To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.

(idiom) to select only the best from a range of options

(idiom in sports) to position oneself near the opponent's goal