To pick out such parts (of a text) as may serve a purpose; to mutilate; to pervert
to garble a quotation
To make false by mutilation or addition
The editor garbled the story.
To sift or bolt, to separate the fine or valuable parts of from the coarse and useless parts, or from dross or dirt
to garble spices
(of a message etc) difficult to understand because it has been distorted; scrambled