Foreign Phrases
without
sans
Artful Dodger
artful diction
tropes
irrelevant topic presented to divert attention from original issue
red herring
something is better or correct because it has always been done that way
appeal to tradition
a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics
blitzkrieg
an inseparable pair
Frick and Frack
repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases
exaggerating the likely consequences of an action
slippery slope
speaker ignores examples that disprove the point and only gives examples that support their cause
stacking the deck
reason or justification for existence
raison d'etre
ecological calamity
silent spring
artful syntax
schemes
distorting an opponent's argument to make it easier to object to
straw man
only two alternatives are suggested when many more are possible
either/or fallacy
conversation marked by witty banter
repartee
an extremely difficult problem
Gordian Knot
one word or phrase is substituted for another with which is it closely associated
metonymy
one event is said to be the cause of a later event simply because it happened first
post hoc
personal attack to take focus away from the issue
ad hominem
delight in another's misfortune
schadenfreude
an idyllic, luxurious, exotic place
xanadu
reasoning from a specific case or cases to a general rule
inductive reasoning
an attempt to support a statement by simply repeating the statement in different terms
circular reasoning
since opposition cannot disprove a claim, the opposite stance must be true
appeal to a lack of evidence