paint the tape
v. phr.— «Tuesday’s closing prices were particularly important to money managers who report their performance based on quarterly figures, and suspicions of “painting the tape”—buying shares at the end of the day to drive up the price—have been common during the final minutes of a quarter.» —“Last-Minute Share Rises Cause Trading Suspicions” by Floyd Norris New York Times Oct. 1, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and...
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...