pass oneself off as an expert; pass off inferior goods as quality
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to be there just to make up the number; to pass oneself off as one of the experts without real competence
Derived from the story of Mr. Nanguo in Han Feizi, who couldn't play the yu (wind instrument) but pretended to be one of three hundred musicians for King Xuan of Qi. Often used self-deprecatingly or critically to describe unqualified people filling positions.
I'm just here to make up the numbers in this expert team.
He doesn't understand music at all; he's just filling a spot in the band.
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This so-called consultant is actually nothing but an impostor making up the numbers.
verb
to pass off inferior goods as quality ones; to mix the spurious with the genuine
Often used in commercial, manufacturing, or academic contexts to describe passing off substandard items among quality ones.
There are quite a few defective products mixed in with this batch.
Some publishers, just to meet quotas, included substandard articles as well.
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Among these gems, some fakes are mixed in to make up the numbers.