No. of Recommendations: 10
I think you've already done commission and paltering.
Great word- "paltering". I had to look it up. Never seen it before, or perhaps it simply never grabbed my attention before.
Paltering is the active use of selective truthful statements to mislead.
It is a common tactic in areas like politics and negotiations, and while palterers may feel it is more ethical, their targets often perceive it as unethical and it can damage their reputation, especially when it's a response to a direct question.
Well, of course! We all know of folks who engage in "paltering". Sometimes, it's even us.
That got me to thinking about other words that when spoken.... almost define themselves just by the way they sound
Poltroon Poltroon is an old-fashioned word for a type of person that exists in every time period: a coward. If you behave in a way that shows no courage or confidence, you're acting like a poltroon. In movies, the villains are often poltroons who are sneaky and devious instead of brave and straightforward.
Great word- poltroon. Poltroons are not brave and straightforward? Wouldn't that also mean they palter?See "Republicn congress", though in the last week or so, they finally may be showing a smidgeon of "gumption".
Snollygoster: A snollygoster is a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician, who is guided by personal gain rather than ethical principles. The term originated in the United States in the 1840s and may be a variation of the mythical creature snallygaster, which was said to prey on children and poultry.
It may have orignated in the 1840's, but its usage died out until William Safire resurrected it from obscurity, though obscurity seems to have overtaken it once more. Cribbing from Safire, Bill O'Reilly used the word a few times. Come to think of it- Bill O'Reilly fits the profile of a snollygoster. So does Ted Cruz. So does Donald Trump.
Whatever, it's a great word.
