The truthiness, the whole truthiness and nothing but the truthiness?
In 2005 the American Dialect Society voted truthiness as the word of the year. Recently popularized on the Colbert Report, a satirical mock news show on US television, truthiness refers to the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true.
Here we take a closer look at truthiness from R. W. Holder's How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms.
Nobody likes to be accused of being a stranger to the truth or stretcher-case, although there are few of us who do not on occasion tell a tall story or porky pies.
However, politicians and administrators seem particularly sensitive to any imputation that they are being economical with the truth. One newspaper described former UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson as a martyr to selective amnesia rather than calling him a liar. Where there is a credibility gap, we may find that a deniable statement has been made, a method adopted by Richard Nixon when he decided to misspeak. While we may have to put up with news management as a tool in psychological warfare, that is not an excuse for creative journalism. The safest line to take if we find ourselves in a spot of bother is to say 'no comment'.
Of course for those who have stretched truthiness to the limits, the consequences can be severe. Shopped by a grass, nicked by the fuzz, and questioned by the knights of the golden fleece, the culprit may end up in the slammer, enjoying her Majesty's hospitality.
economical with the truth – lying
martyr to – suffering from
credibility gap – the extent to which you are thought to be lying
deniable – describing something for which responsibility can be plausibly refuted
misspeak – to lie
psychological warfare – the dissemination of lies and half-truths
creative – disputatious or dishonest
shop – give information leading to arrest
grass – to inform against
nicked – caught
fuzz – police
slammer – prison
enjoying her Majesty's hospitality – to be in prison
Juliet Evans
29/11/2007
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