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February 11, 2006 11:21 PM

Fallacy Files
posted by Gyan (16 comments total)

Everyone shoud add this to their favorites. One nitpick: this section should be "Quote. . . .Endquote", not "unquote". In the old days of manual typesetting, where the typesetter moved a series of metal plates onto a wooden block, inked it, and then pressed a piece of paper onto the assembly, the expression “quote, end quote” (not “unquote”) was a quick way of identifying the appropriate plates (the typesetter was a trained tradesman, not a proofreader).

Otherwise, pretty good stuff. Especially here in the Blue.
posted by exlotuseater at 12:23 AM on February 12, 2006

GOD exlotuseater, the only reason you even bring that up is because of your interest in classic texts. Why should we even bother to listen to you?
posted by beerbajay at 12:42 AM on February 12, 2006

OK, I lied.

c. quote..unquote: a formula used in dictation to introduce and terminate a quotation. Freq. transf., in speech or writing, introducing and terminating words quoted (or ironically imagined to be quoted) from the speech or writing of another. --no link, from the OED.
posted by exlotuseater at 12:42 AM on February 12, 2006

beerbajay: nice use of the 'bad reason' fallacy there.
posted by exlotuseater at 12:44 AM on February 12, 2006

Thank you, Gyan. Reading this link, I grow smarterer by the minute.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:51 AM on February 12, 2006

p.s. : that's exactly what HITLER would say!

;)
posted by exlotuseater at 1:06 AM on February 12, 2006

exlotuseater, your quote above is not quite complete. It ends, "In normal life, then and now, the expression 'quote, end quote' has no meaning at all."

(Could I have possibly unearthed an example of this fallacy?)
posted by mono blanco at 1:35 AM on February 12, 2006

mono blanco- indeed, it has no meaning; moreover, it has no place in common usage at all. Until I hit up the trusty OED this morning, I had always thought 'unquote' was incorrect, and that it was 'end-quote'. I stand corrected, and probably need to apologize to a few people.
posted by exlotuseater at 1:46 AM on February 12, 2006

That's the apologetis requitium fallacy.
posted by Bugbread at 2:00 AM on February 12, 2006

You all should BOW to T-Rex
posted by elpapacito at 3:34 AM on February 12, 2006

Why aren't there any rat-tail files on that page?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:49 AM on February 12, 2006

Nice! Added to favourites. Now watch me own teh internets with my fallacy-fu.
posted by RokkitNite at 7:48 AM on February 12, 2006

Nerd fight!
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:03 AM on February 12, 2006

That's the first time I've ever seen that word spelled "premiss". Therefore, the author doesn't know what they're talking about.
posted by Foosnark at 9:11 AM on February 12, 2006

Bad use of frames. Why have frames if each link reloads the page? I keep losing my place (admittedly not firing on all cylinders this morning).

Thank you, Gyan.
posted by Eideteker at 9:50 AM on February 12, 2006

Fellacy Files (NSFW, obviously)
posted by anthill at 9:57 AM on February 12, 2006