Some examples:
- Instead of admitting that I’m an alcoholic, I just say I had one too many drinks.
- Instead of the bank admitting that it has lots of loans that are in arrears and are likely to default, it only says that it has underperforming loans.
- Instead of admitting that they overeat, they simply claim that they have a strong appetite.
Basically, I’m after a word for when a phrase is used that is not really a lie, but doesn’t give the whole truth to make it sound more positive than it actually is. Usually when something should be dealt with, but it’s kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase.
Hellion
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asked Jul 14, 2016 at 14:52
14
Downplay
M-W: to make (something) seem smaller or less important
dictionary.com: to treat or speak of (something) so as to reduce emphasis on its importance, value, strength, etc.:
The press has downplayed the president’s role in the negotiations.
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 15:07
vynsanevynsane
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21
Sugarcoat — to make (something difficult or distasteful) appear more pleasant or acceptable.
You can’t sugarcoat your alcoholism this time MonkeyZeus, I’m taking the kids and leaving you! Also, what parent in their right mind would name their child with a name as awful as yours?!
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 17:35
MonkeyZeusMonkeyZeus
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8
A noun to express that could be euphemism:
Euphemism: The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant
Definition from the Merriam-Webster.
The verb would be to euphemize
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 15:00
FrédéricFrédéric
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10
your examples sound like whitewashing
whitewash verb white·wash ˈhwīt-ˌwȯsh, ˈwīt-, -ˌwäsh
- to make (something) whiter by painting it with whitewash
- to prevent people from learning the truth about (something bad, such as a dishonest, immoral, or illegal act or situation)
examples:
- a book that tries to whitewash the country’s past
- refused to whitewash the governor’s chronic disregard for the truth
source: merriam-webster
further reading:
wikipedia defines whitewash thusly:
«to gloss over or cover up vices, crimes or scandals or to exonerate by
means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of
data«
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 19:39
james turnerjames turner
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2
Trivialize — ODO
verb (with object)
Make (something) seem less important, significant, or complex than it really is.
«the problem was either trivialized or ignored by teachers»
«As a result, the film seems to trivialize important events in Dutch history»
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 17:05
NVZ♦NVZ
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There are many good answers already in the list, but the one that jumped to my mind is not included, so I’ll add it:
Gloss over
to avoid considering something, such as an embarrassing mistake, to
make it seem not important, and to quickly continue talking about
something else
— Cambridge Dictionary
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 18:47
One common idiom is soft-pedal from the action of pressing the «soft» pedal on a piano to reduce the volume. The basic usage is to de-emphasize or minimize something that would otherwise seem quite important.
soft-pedal: to treat or describe (something) as less important than it really is
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft%E2%80%93pedal
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 14:55
Chris SunamiChris Sunami
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1
As a former counselor (addictions and otherwise), the word we used was «minimize», though this could be confusing to someone outside the field. E.g. in a list of diagnostic criteria for a subject, we might write, «Mr. Smith minimized the consequences of his drinking.» This might mean that he said he had a «fender-bender» when in reality he totaled his car.
This usage traces its origins to Dr. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry, as one of the types of defense mechanisms.
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 18:18
ChozangChozang
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4
Spin
In public relations, Spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through
providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to
persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or
public figure. While traditional public relations may also rely on
creative presentation of the facts, «spin» often implies the use of
disingenuous, deceptive, and highly manipulative tactics
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(propaganda)
Camouflage
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 22:54
DaveDave
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4
In case you need something more than single-words…
Make light of — TFD
to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous.
«I wish you wouldn’t make light of his problems. They’re quite serious.»
«I make light of my problems, and that makes me feel better.»
Make little of — TFD
to minimize someone or something; to play someone or something down; to belittle someone or something.
«John made little of my efforts to collect money for charity.»
«The neighbors made little of John and thought he would amount to nothing.»
answered Jul 14, 2016 at 17:09
NVZ♦NVZ
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If you’re in the mood for a colourful idiom: A superficial fix for a more serious issue can be called putting lipstick on the pig.
answered Jul 15, 2016 at 19:59
Joel BrownJoel Brown
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2
Justify, Minimize, and Rationalize
Justify has a secondary meaning of trying to defend oneself (especially when not warranted) such as he tries to justify his actions.
Minimize has a secondary meaning of representing the lowest possible amount or importance as in he minimizes the importance of his actions.
This term is used in psychology with the definition: a type of deception involving denial coupled with rationalisation in situations where complete denial is implausible. It is the opposite of exaggeration. Wikipedia
Rationalize has primary meaning which is to give causes which superficially seem reasonable but are unrelated, such as he tries to rationalize his actions.
In psychology, it has the following definition: a defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable—or even admirable and superior—by plausible means. Wikipedia
answered Jul 15, 2016 at 14:33
Don JewettDon Jewett
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Ameliorate
This word was the first that popped into my head, which dictionary.com defines as:
to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve
dictionary.com made a distinction between ameliorate and:
Alleviate
to make easier to endure; lessen; mitigate
Which it claims, means to actually improve the situation, rather than merely downplaying it or sugar coating it
answered Jul 15, 2016 at 17:23
flurbiusflurbius
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1
Massage the truth
You can massage figures or facts to make them more amenable to your purposes. It sounds quite harmless.
answered Jul 18, 2016 at 12:08
These sentences use weasel words.
From M-W :
: a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position
Or a longer definition from wikipedia :
A weasel word (also, anonymous authority) is an informal term for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that a specific and/or meaningful statement has been made, when only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated, enabling the specific meaning to be denied if the statement is challenged.
To tergiversate is synonymous with the use of weasel words to avoid making an outright assertion. Weasel words can imply meaning far beyond the claim actually being made. Some weasel words may also have the effect of softening the force of a potentially loaded or otherwise controversial statement through some form of understatement, for example using detensifiers such as «somewhat» or «in most respects»….
[…] Use of vague or ambiguous euphemisms (e.g., replacing «firing staff» with «streamlining the workforce»)
answered Jul 20, 2016 at 1:00
k1erank1eran
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To be in denial is a slightly different take on your query that focuses somewhat more on the mental state of the person in question. But it directly applies to cases where, as you say in your question, «something should be dealt with, but it’s kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase.»
in denial: A condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real. — M-W
Example: «I think John is in denial about his alcohol problem. Whenever I try to talk to him about it, he just says that he has a few drinks every now and then.»
It is used most often in cases where Person A believes there’s a problem that should be dealt with and Person B (usually either the one who has the problem or one who’s consent or participation is necessary in order to deal with the problem) is unwilling or unable to recognize that the problem is as severe as Person A believes it to be.
NVZ♦
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answered Jul 15, 2016 at 16:09
eipi10eipi10
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Sex up is how they referred to fiddling Tony Blair’s Iraq dossier. Apparently this has entered general parlance (although I’ve not heard it elsewhere).
The implication is that no actual lying is taking place, but that spin is being placed on certain parts of the message.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexed_up
answered Jul 20, 2016 at 7:54
2
Inspired by MadMaardigan’s «sexed up» answer, I suggest instead «sexed down».
E.g. from the BBC
The government has been accused of «sexing down» a draft report on alcohol misuse to prevent the study damaging the case for extending pub opening hours.
E.g. from businessinsider.com
LONDON (Reuters) — New delays to a major report into Britain’s role in the Iraq War sparked fears on Wednesday that the public would conclude an inquiry’s long-awaited findings had been «sexed down» to prevent criticism of former high-profile figures.
I can’t find a respectable dictionary definition, but see the «sexed up» answer for the definition of original idiom.
answered Jul 21, 2016 at 16:33
k1erank1eran
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Note the term sweet lemons is used as a formal term in psycology as a defense mechanism.
Interestingly, it’s hard to find via Google as the actual tree and Thai restaurants dominate the results. But here is a textbook showing what I remember.
answered Jul 18, 2016 at 7:50
JDługoszJDługosz
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The word ‘prevaricate’ matches your definition exactly: telling the truth, strictly speaking, but by subtly distorting the facts to effectively lie.
answered Jul 19, 2016 at 4:23
2
Rose-Colored Glasses or Rose-Tinted Glasses
You could say that you are viewing a problem through rose-colored glasses.
optimistic eyes (views the world through rose-colored glasses)
There is a good discussion about the etymology of the phrase at the following link.
Origin of «Rose tinted glasses»?
answered Jul 22, 2016 at 18:00
JamesJames
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A formal word for this is circumlocution, according to Cambridge Dictionary:
(an example of) an indirect way of saying something, especially something unpleasant
Cambridge Dictionary also provides to example sentences, these are quoted below:
«Economical with the truth» is a circumlocution for «lying».
Politicians are experts in circumlocution.
Attribution: «Circumlocution Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.» Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2018. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/circumlocution.
answered Mar 28, 2018 at 23:47
JJJJJJ
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If it is more pro-actively made-up we can call it romanticizing
the free dictionary says romanticize is
v.tr.
To view or interpret romantically; make romantic.
v.intr.
To think in a romantic way.
Google says it means:
deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make (something) seem better or more appealing than it really is.
with the sample sentence:
«the tendency to romanticize non-industrial societies»
Wiktionary also adds:
(transitive) To interpret or view something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner.
answered Jul 19, 2016 at 16:54
Mou某Mou某
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|
what’s the catch |
id. |
when sth sounds too good to be true and not as good as it seems to be and you suspect that there is a hidden problem |
||
|
It‘s as broad as it is long |
exp. |
Used to express that it is impossible to decide between two options because they’re equal |
English expression |
|
|
pride comes before fall |
id. |
def.: if you are too confident about yourself, something bad will happen to show you that you are not as good as you think you are |
||
|
instant tradition |
n. |
Something that as soon as it is done becomes decided upon to repeat the next year and years to come. Does not necessarily have to had been done previous years to be defined an instant tradition. |
||
|
bad to the bone |
adj. |
extremely bad |
about humans |
|
|
not on your tintype |
exp. |
absolutely not; not in this lifetime |
Slang expression used mostly in 19th century |
|
|
rotten apple OR bad apple |
n. |
Arotten apple is a member of a group, or a single element in a set of things, that is bad and likely to corrupt the other people or things in the group |
Allusion to the expression «One bad apple spoils the barrel» |
|
|
suck at
|
v. |
be bad at |
[US];[Slang] ex.: to suck at a game |
|
|
bad blood |
n. |
remnants of disputes that make a relationship between people or companies difficult to maintain, even without an open dispute |
||
|
bad day for science |
exp. |
expression used when nothing is going well |
||
|
it is what it is |
exp. |
means «that’s just the way it is» |
c’est comme ça, point barre |
|
|
it‘s got bits in it |
n. |
means a liquid is not clear: this tea’s got bits in it, I don’t like yogurt with bits in it |
assez proche de l’idée de ‘il y a à boire et à manger’ |
|
|
it has a ring to it |
exp. |
it sounds interesting or attractive |
||
|
it hit me |
exp. |
it occurred to me, I suddenly thought of it, I had an idea all of a sudden |
E.g: I wondered all day long how to solve this problem and it suddenly hit me…I had to talk to Marry. |
|
|
green IT |
n. |
new trend in computing to take into account the environmental aspect when designing IT systems. |
||
|
up for it |
exp. |
«to be up for it» means to be willing to participate |
she’s really up for it: elle est partante |
|
|
! unconfident |
adj. |
not confident |
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Intern
Joined: 24 Oct 2018
Posts: 2
It’s not so bad as it seems
[#permalink]
19 Nov 2018, 04:12
«It’s not so bad as it seems»
I can’t understand if this idiom is considered correct by GMAT. I think you must say «It’s not as bad as it seems».
Thank you for your time
VP
Joined: 30 Jan 2016
Posts: 1233
Re: It’s not so bad as it seems
[#permalink]
21 Nov 2018, 08:33
Hi salvatorefaraone0,
Where did you see this question? Do you have manhattanprep textbook? If you have, check the idiom section.
You might find these thread useful:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru … 30379.html
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru … t4342.html
Hope this helps!
_________________
Manager
Joined: 09 Jun 2017
Posts: 88
Re: It’s not so bad as it seems
[#permalink]
22 Nov 2018, 09:20
Quote:
«It’s not so bad as it seems»
I can’t understand if this idiom is considered correct by GMAT. I think you must say «It’s not as bad as it seems».
I agree , I read that in Magoosh idiom ebook
Re: It’s not so bad as it seems [#permalink]
22 Nov 2018, 09:20
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
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Photographers will get paid
as
part of the package,
Фотографам будут платить в рамках пакета,
Other institutions assure us that everything is all right with Aleppo’s Armenians and the situation is not as bad as it seems.
The situation with respect to extrabudgetary resources was not as bad as it seemed at first glance.
But there is not so bad as it seems at first sight-our panels catch not only direct rays,
but diffused light.
Но тут не все так плохо как кажется на первый взгляд- наши панели улавливают не только прямые лучи, но
и рассеянный свет.
To poison cockroaches in a
dream without much success is not such a bad sign as it seems.
Each brings up children as it seems right, or even referring to the different methods, and in the worst case- to the advice of friends.
Каждый воспитывает детей так, как ему кажется правильным, или даже обращаясь к различным методикам, а в худшем случае- к советам знакомых.
In fact, everything is not as bad as
it
might seem at first glance.
I think it’s
important to remember… these things are never as bad as they may seem at first.
Results: 72,
Time: 0.0346
English
—
Russian
Russian
—
English
|
“”If you can’t complain about X just because there exists another problem, Y, that’s worse than X, then the only person who has any right to complain at all is the person who objectively has it worst in every way possible. The other 7 billion people’s problems are meaningless by this reasoning. |
| —/u/frictionless_vacuum[1] |
The «not as bad as» fallacy, also known as the fallacy of relative privation,[2] asserts that:
- If something is worse than the problem currently being discussed, then
- The problem currently being discussed isn’t that important at all.
- In order for the statement «A is not as bad as B,» to suggest a fallacy there must be a fallacious conclusion such as: ignore A.
In other words: nothing matters if it’s not literally the worst thing happening.[note 1] It’s popular with people who know perfectly well they’re doing something wrong. Since they are fully aware that they’re doing something wrong, they feel compelled to attempt to justify it and do so by pointing to other (usually worse) actions.
This fallacy is a form of the moral equivalence fallacy.
Forms[edit]
|
“”To be good, it is not enough to be better than the worst.
|
||
| —Lucius Annaeus Seneca |
There are a few different reasons someone will want to pull a «not as bad as» comparison. Consider a generic argument about something, A, and the reasoning below:
- P1: B happened.
- P2: B is worse than A.
- C: Therefore A is justified.
This is the most blatantly fallacious form of the argument and is a hindsight version of the «not as bad as» argument that states past actions can legitimise current actions. The existence of a worse atrocity in the past, however, does not actually justify anything — it merely points out that there have been similar things in the past. People who use this as a justification may be well aware that it’s logically fallacious, and use it purely as rhetoric, or as a distraction.
Examples[edit]
Holocaust deniers and apologists use this quite frequently: «the Holocaust was bad, but Stalin killed more», ignoring the Axis’s willingness to encourage World War II and is irrelevant if discussing murders carried out under Hitler’s regime. Similarly, «Internet censorship in the US isn’t as bad as internet censorship in China» is true, but not relevant to discussing the erosion of free speech in a country that holds free speech to be an important part of human rights. It is irrational to set the bar of what makes something wrong at the worst possible atrocity, as doing so would justify all other actions except the one that is judged to be the worst at any given moment.
It is also used occasionally as a particularly underhanded emotional appeal, in an attempt to guilt trip someone, in order to have them stop voicing a complaint. For example: «Kids of the past had it way harder than modern kids, so modern kids should shut up!!» (When I was your age…)
Sometimes valid[edit]
- Action B is worse than action A.
- Therefore action A is the right thing to do.
This is perhaps the most valid comparison that can be drawn if discussing two courses of action that can be taken, but like most «not as bad as» arguments potentially suffers from the fallacies of the false dichotomy and argument from adverse consequences. If the argument is about ranking things from bad to worse then it’s fine; but you cannot justify A by citing only B because the two may not have anything to do with each other. This is common if secret option C is actually the best, but someone wants to make a red herring to avoid anyone spotting its existence.
- B happens more frequently, is more dangerous, or causes more harm than A.
- Therefore A can be ignored.
This form crops up often when discussing discrimination, but seriously falls into the false dichotomy trap by implying that one can only focus their attention on A or B and is incapable of expressing moral outrage over both.
A similar form appeals to allocation of scarce resources, such as money, time, attention, or whatever else, to give the best «bang-for-your-buck»:
- We have a finite budget that we can use to fix either A or B.
- A is not as bad as B.
- Therefore, we should fix B.
Setting priorities for limited resources is often a valid pragmatic argument but doesn’t morally absolve A of any wrongs.
- A is a better option because its only alternative is B, which is worse.
- Therefore we must keep A.
This is a pragmatic argument if the alternative, B, really does pose a real threat, and there is no secret option C. Would assassinating a dictator in some random country create a power-vacuum that plunges the entire region into war? Then we best put up with the bastard for now!
It’s also a common pro-choice argument; a legal abortion in a medical clinic is statistically the safer option compared to a back alley with some bleach and a coat hanger. So even if you believe abortion is always morally wrong, providing legal access to safe abortions is preferable to women risking their lives by having unsafe abortions.
Whether these latter forms of the «not as bad as» argument are fallacious comes down to the use of a false dichotomy and whether moral justification is sought exclusively through this argument.
Caveat[edit]
While this fallacy is certainly one to be argued against, the rational arguer should be cautious in doing so in cases where X and Y lie on a recognisable continuum. Taken too far in such a case, efforts against this fallacy («X is not as bad as Y«) may readily lead an arguer into a continuum fallacy («X and Y fall on a continuum, therefore X is indistinguishable from, or equally bad to, Y). To avoid this, the arguer must be sure to argue against the conclusion drawn from the difference between X and Y, and not against the claim of difference itself (unless there is some rational basis for arguing that the difference truly does not exist).
Other examples[edit]
- Stalin apologists will commonly use this logic, saying «Stalin wasn’t as bad as Hitler» and will use this to ignore Stalin’s own genocides and crimes or even justify them in some cases. He was also not as bad as the Tsar![note 2]
- Men’s rights activists frequently try to downplay the Western world’s own issues with sexism and misogyny by comparing it to conditions in the Middle East. This can go from lazy and dishonest comparisons to open Islamophobia, white supremacy, and xenophobia very quickly.
- «Women are stereotyped by the media, but it isn’t as big of a problem as poverty, wars, or human rights in the world!» (See Bjorn Lomborg for a similar one on global warming.)
- «Yes, the US is keeping secret prisons, but we’re not as bad as Saddam Hussein!»
- «Sure, US forces tortured people in Afghanistan, but it’s not as bad as what the Japanese did in WWII.»
- «Catholic priests may rape children, but what about all the bad things Stalin did?»
- «Barack Obama might be detaining people without trial and bombing civilians in other countries, but Bush did far worse.»
- John McCain’s «Sure, Americans are ‘war-weary’ but what about the ‘war-weariness’ of Syrians?»[3]
- «Smoking may be a bad thing, but it’s not as bad as global warming/car exhausts/body odor/etc.»
- «Sure, many developed countries may still have homelessness, but at least here they have bridges to sleep under and garbage cans to eat out of!»
- Sure, institutional discrimination against non-Christians exists in European countries with an established religion, but it’s not as bad as Saudi Arabia; besides, look at those freaks in the megachurches in the US!
- Gun rights advocates sometimes argue that gun ownership shouldn’t be restricted, because people driving cars cause more deaths than people using guns and we’re not restricted from owning cars.[note 3]
- Sam Harris has said that obtaining information through torture is less immoral than killing innocents as collateral damage, so in any scenario where torture could prevent the need for collateral damage, torture is the less unethical thing to do. This is a valid use of the argument, though it ignores all practical considerations about the efficacy of torture (or lack thereof). He has also said that allowing secular tyrants like Saddam Hussein to oppress their populace is a better alternative than allowing populist theocrats like Daesh to rise to power.
- «Bashar al-Assad may be a brutal tyrant, but at least he’s not as bad as Daesh!»
- «American slavery may have been bad, but the Arabs did worse!»
- Some naturopaths and promoters of integrative medicine level criticisms against conventional medical research and practices, claiming that the skepticism of CAM is therefore misguided, hypocritical, and/or ideological.[4] However, as Ben Goldacre succinctly puts it, «flaws in aircraft design do not prove the existence of magic carpets.»
- «RationalWiki may have just stepped on your personal toe, but it’s not as bad as Conservapedia!»
- Bush was not as bad as Donald Trump.
- Donald Trump fans often claim that Trump is not as bad as Obama.
- When police want to speak to someone about a minor offence, the response is often along the lines of “shouldn’t you be catching real criminals?”, as if their offense is not worth bothering about just because others commit worse offenses. And that itself is not as bad as the people who just shout «ACAB» at them…
In a nutshell[edit]
Your point that the world contains multiple problems is a real slam-dunk argument against fixing any of them.
See also[edit]
- First world problems
- Slippery slope
- Two wrongs make a right
- False dilemma
- Balance fallacy
- Whataboutery
- What’s the harm
Notes[edit]
- ↑ This has also been expressed as «the good old ‘someone, somewhere has it worse so you have no right to complain’ fallacy» and the «‘starving kids in Africa’ fallacy».
- ↑ And of course, conservatives retroactively claim that the Tsar was justified because he wasn’t as bad as Stalin!
- ↑ But they are regulated, aren’t they?
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/3xw2xt/trackreddit/cy8h0l7/
- ↑ Bennett, Bo (2012). «Relative Privation». Logically Fallacious: The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies.
- ↑ McCain: Sanctions Are Not Enough Against Putin, NPR
- ↑ Katz, «Cleaning the House of Medicine»