chink in one's armor
/tʃˈɪŋk ɪn wˈʌnz ˈɑːɹmɚ/
phrasea weakness in someone's character or argument that can be used against them
Examples
ad hominem
/ˈæd hˈɑːmənəm/
adjective(of an argument) directed against a person and not their point of view
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Examples
1. Hmm, is that an ad hominem fallacy I detect?
2. This is an ad hominem tu quoque attack.
3. Ad hominem attacks are the bread and butter of political advertising.
4. This is an ad hominem tu quoque attack.
5. Ad hominem attacks will get you nowhere.
a link in the chain
/ɐ lˈɪŋk ɪnðə tʃˈeɪn/
phraseone of the steps, stages, or points involved in a process or argument
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Examples
1. First, the disclosure is not incriminating because it is not evidence and it does not form a link in the chain of evidence by virtue of authorizing a search.
2. A sequence of characters like 1, 2, 3, A, B, C does not generate leads for the government and does not form part of the government's case, nor does it form a link in the chain of evidence, just because it permits the government to search the cellphone.
3. So the kids made these chains on New Year's this year and for every hour there was a link in the chain and they wrote something that they were thankful for for the year and every hour they would tear off one of the links of the chain and read what they were thankful for.
ammunition
/ˌæmjəˈnɪʃən/
nouna set of facts or information that can be used to win an argument against someone or to criticize them
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Examples
1. When his ammunition ran out, he threw his gun at Pugliese.
2. They needed ammunition.
3. Yesterday gave them ammunition.
4. We had no ammunition.
5. Ammunition hurt people.
anyway
/ˈɛniˌweɪ/
adverbused to introduce a statement that confirms or supports a previous point
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Examples
1. Anyway, these experts-- 42 of these experts had efficacy ratings below 50%.
2. Anyway, here's his chip.
3. Anyway, have a good one.
4. But anyway, guys, take care.
5. Maybe make an extra one anyway.
apologia
/ɐpˈɑːlədʒə/
nouna formal written defense used to justify one's beliefs or opinions
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Examples
1. When Socrates drank the hemlock for corrupting the youth of Athens, in his apologia did he make a free-speech claim?
2. And I think that this gets to another aspect of what we were calling the apologia of Binks, that it doesn't-- it's not like it's improving it.
3. This theory is an apologia of Binks.
4. Where fan fiction knocks the whole thing over and rebuilds it with the same pieces, fan theory apologia is like reinserting those pieces while it's still standing, to try to make it stable again.
5. Channing also starred in Apologia twice, once in London in 2017 and again in New York in 2018.
aporia
/ɐpˈoːɹiə/
nouna situation in which a theory or argument cannot be true because two or more parts of it are contradictory
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Examples
1. But his importance for us can be revealed by examining three initially odd sounding terms he often used: Deconstruction, Aporia and Logocentrism.
2. Derrida's tactic was to glamorize this condition and to give it a positive ring, which is why he brought back into use a beautiful Greek word: Aporia, meaning impasse or puzzlement.
3. He was proposing Aporia as a state we should feel proud to know and to visit on a regular basis.
4. In some ways we call that an aporia, a tension between two rights.
arguable
/ˈɑɹɡjuəbəɫ/
adjective(of an ideology or opinion) not certain and could be backed up by facts and reasons
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Examples
1. It’s arguable that this stalemate was never really resolved.
2. - This is arguable the only safe way to eat leftover sushi.
3. Well, that's an arguable statement
4. It's arguable that every age has roughly similar amounts of latent talent among its artists.
5. All right, today's guest is arguable the greatest beach volleyball player the world has ever seen.
arguably
/ˈɑɹɡjuəbɫi/
adverbused when giving an opinion one believes could be supported by providing reasons for it
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Examples
1. Beyonce has arguably the greatest personal brand of all time, of all time.
2. This one arguably has better reception.
3. Arguably, the lighting effect on the illustration of an impassive model for the French company Tho-Radia has a tinge of the early horror movie poster.
4. But your parents arguably get one back.
5. The Pitch Perfect movies arguably brought the world of a cappella competition to the mainstream.
to argue
/ˈɑɹɡju/
verbto provide reasons when saying something is the case, particularly to persuade others that one is right
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Examples
1. Trump's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz himself once argued the opposite during the Clinton impeachment.
2. As historians and economists argue the criteria, adjustments due to inflation and the values of commodities and services.
3. Realistically, the man can argue three legal theories for a lawsuit.
4. Proponents of immunity would also argue logistical problems.
5. The loser of this round has to argue the next round with their feet in ice water.
argument
/ˈɑɹɡjəmənt/
nouna reason or sets of reasons presented to show the correctness or falsehood of an action or idea
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Examples
1. Here's my argument to you, Destin nashe Okay.
2. The argument I'm going to give traces back to Descartes, the great early modern philosopher.
3. They win arguments.
4. You have arguments.
5. They have arguments.
argumentation
/ˌɑɹɡjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/
nounthe process or action of logical reasoning for persuading others
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Examples
1. His reasoned argumentation in his defense fell on deaf ears.
2. Don't ask me about logical argumentation for these reasons because this argumentation doesn't exist.
3. There is bad faith argumentation.
4. This is a form of argumentation called the anthropic principle.
5. Logic argumentation and authorities supplied the foundations of knowledge.
argumentative
/ˌɑɹɡjəˈmɛntətɪv/
adjective(of a person) ready to argue and often arguing
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Examples
1. We're argumentative buggers as people.
2. It's a little argumentative.
3. - Yeah, argumentative again.
4. I'm argumentative, but he just kind of.
5. You're argumentative?
a stick to beat someone with
/ɐ stˈɪk tə bˈiːt sˈʌmwʌn wɪð/
phrasesomething that can be used as a basis for criticism or punishment of someone
Examples
at the same time
/æt ðə sˈeɪm tˈaɪm/
phraseused to introduce a second fact that must be taken into account
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Examples
1. But at the same time, you want to also have some controls over utilization.
2. And at the same time, I'm on a journey of spirituality, trying to figure out my roots, being based in evangelical Christianity.
3. At the same time, the disease had no real place in the Classics.
4. At the same time, agencies definitely make mistakes.
5. At the same time, the descent of the diaphragm also causes an increase in abdominal pressure.
to belabor the point
/bɪlˈæbɚ ðə pˈɔɪnt/
phraseto keep repeating or stressing an idea, argument, etc., especially when it is unnecessary
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Examples
1. We have many things in common with this ciliate, and not to belabor the point, but one of those things is that we will die.
2. Not to belabor the point but for everyday use, almost everything is pretty speedy on the Jelly 2's out-of-box launcher.
3. I talked about this in my OnePlus 5 reviews, so I won't belabor the point.
4. I won't belabor the point, but I do want to leave you with three facts about the importance of sleep that are too interesting to omit.
5. And I don't want to belabor the point, and we can move on but it is for me, it was such a paradigm shift on how I looked at jobs and careers.
to be on (firm / solid) ground
/biː ˌɑːn fˈɜːm ɡɹˈaʊnd/
phraseto be in a strong position in an argument due to having all the facts
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Examples
1. Anymore so than we would have been on firm ground if someone were to have said, let's say, in Pakistan in 1989, the year after Benazir Bhutto, a woman, was first elected president of that country, that sexism was no longer an issue in Pakistan.
2. They got on their lifeboats, and they traveled some 300 miles to an island, the Elephant Island, where they now were on solid ground, but on a tiny beach where they wouldn't survive.
3. Naked and overjoyed to be on solid ground, Alvarenga crawled along the soft sand before being spotted by locals Emi and Russel Libokmeto from across a small canal.
4. You know, we're already wrong, we're already in trouble, but we feel like we're on solid ground.
5. With these strategies in place, your hopes for entry to a top college or university are on solid ground.
by extension
/baɪ ɛkstˈɛnʃən/
phraseused for taking the situation or same line of argument one step further
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Examples
1. The company said its European and Asian stores undermined Forever 21's ability to nimbly bring inventory to market and by extension hurt its worldwide profitability while distracting the management team.
2. The sweeping tax reform measures passed in 2017 were supposed to spur corporations to reinvest profits back into research and paying their own employees, and by extension, create new jobs.
3. It’s showing you one show or product over another and, by extension, hiding others.
4. First of all, it reminds me of the story in Genesis, of Adam giving names to all the animals, and establishing humanity's dominion over all non-speaking creatures, providing a single reason why humans should be considered special among all animals: we have the power of speech, and by extension, the power to invent and tell creation stories of our own.
5. He wrote up some fancy math, showing that his theory predicted this motion almost perfectly, and everyone had to concede that yes, tiny discrete bits of matter were indeed smacking into the pollen, and thus molecules, and by extension atoms, must exist.
to carry
/ˈkæɹi/, /ˈkɛɹi/
verbto persuade a group of people to accept one's arguments by winning their support or sympathy
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Examples
1. 60 percent carry debt from month to month.
2. But debt always carries risks.
3. So afferent neurons carry information to the brain and spinal cord for analysis.
4. Carrying a big check.
5. A proper gentleman always carries a bag.
case
/ˈkeɪs/
nouna series of facts supporting a theory or an argument
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Examples
1. The components included a case that contained a battery and a sound-amplification device.
2. In one case, a man fathered a child that had his twin’s DNA!
3. Most of these cases have occurred in orthodox Jewish communities.
4. Case closed!
5. Case closed.
casuistry
/kˈæʒuːˌɪstɹi/
nounthe practice of unsound reasoning and falsely arguing questions in a clever way
Examples
circular
/ˈsɝkjəɫɝ/
adjective(of an argument or a theory) involving an idea or statement to prove something that is then used to prove the statement itself
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Examples
1. Their nucleus is pretty circular.
2. I can circular breathe.
3. I say circular motion.
4. But no physical object is perfectly circular.
5. They have rings, many moons, also circular orbits.
circularity
/sˌɜːkjʊlˈæɹɪɾi/
nounthe fact of a theory or an argument continuously returning to the starting point, due to having a conclusion that has been assumed as a premise
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Examples
1. The circularity actually reminds me of the Mandate of Heaven.
2. there's a great circularity that the data is going to be making predictions.
3. The circularity of this argument is a bit maddening.
4. The mind can think about perfect circularity.
5. There's a perfect circularity to this symbolism.
to claim
/ˈkɫeɪm/
verbto say that something is the case without providing proof for it
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Examples
1. The Japanese royal family even claimed descent from dragons.
2. Claiming victory?
3. - On September 17th, 2020 claimed yet another victim.
4. Thor: The Dark World then claims the life of Thor's mother, Frigga.
5. The winner of this duel claims his prize.
claim
/ˈkɫeɪm/
nounto declare or deem something true without any verification or proof, even though others might not approve
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Examples
1. The Japanese royal family even claimed descent from dragons.
2. Claiming victory?
3. - On September 17th, 2020 claimed yet another victim.
4. Thor: The Dark World then claims the life of Thor's mother, Frigga.
5. The winner of this duel claims his prize.
to climb down
/klˈaɪm dˈaʊn/
verbto move to a different opinion or to admit to one's mistakes
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Examples
1. She climbs down from her room.
2. He climbs down a refrigerator.
3. and I was kind of climbing down my mom
4. He climbs down with a rope made from small tree branches.
5. So it can definitely climb down the cost curve.
clincher
/ˈkɫɪntʃɝ/
nouna fact, remark, or action that settles a dispute decisively
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Examples
1. After the game six clincher, Peter Laviolette showered Giroux in praise, calling him the best player in the world.
2. And in the years since, they've had some truly cursed seeming moments in clincher games.
3. And the clincher, was his reaction to livin' in a house filled with women.
4. Well, the clincher came when this one older black woman came back
5. And here is the ultimate clincher for this.
to concede
/kənˈsid/
verbto reluctantly admit that something is true after denying it first
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Examples
1. The point is conceded already.
2. The administration concedes this.
3. The state conceded.
4. The state conceded.
5. The president conceded any preemptive pardons to any of this.
to confute
/kənfjˈuːt/
verbto disprove something or someone
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Examples
1. Had it been possible to adduce fifty instead of five examples of bodies found floating at the end of two or three days, these fifty examples could still have been properly regarded only as exceptions to L’Etoile’s rule, until such time as the rule itself should be confuted.
consistently
/kənˈsɪstəntɫi/
adverbin a way that is always the same
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Examples
1. The government has consistently underestimated the death toll here.
2. Probably only 20 airlines in the world consistently make a profit.
3. Tip number five, publish consistently.
4. Training for a Navy SEAL is consistently rated the most difficult training out of any branch of the military.
5. Does the report apply this term consistently?
to contend
/kənˈtɛnd/
verbto argue the truth of something
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Examples
1. I contend that the slaves frees themselves.
2. They're still contending in cyberspace and elsewhere.
3. We contend that neither of those challenges can succeed either.
4. I contend Jared says nothing of substance in his answer.
5. There's contending schools about this.
corollary
/ˈkɔɹəˌɫɛɹi/
nouna thing that is the direct or natural result of another
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Examples
1. Individual responsibility is a corollary to individual freedom.
2. The corollary is rarely respected.
3. A corollary to /p/-values are confidence intervals.
4. And this mistake had a number of corollaries.
5. And it had, of course, an educational corollary.
count
/ˈkaʊnt/
nouna point argued or discussed
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Examples
1. Ohone counts.
2. We're bemoaning the fact that there's so many ballots that they can't be counted in time to satiate everyone's thirst for immediate answers.
3. One of you count.
4. Every dollar counts.
5. Count thy sheep and not thy years.
counterargument
/kˈaʊntɚɹˌɑːɹɡjuːmənt/
nouna set of arguments put forward to oppose an idea or theory
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Examples
1. You have to give a counterargument.
2. So I give you a counterargument.
3. So you counter my counterargument with a counter-counterargument.
4. But this last counterargument is abductive.
5. What's the counterargument?
counterexample
/kˈaʊntɚɹɪɡzˌæmpəl/
nounan example or a fact that refutes or contradicts a theory, hypothesis, or a proposition
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Examples
1. Harmony is a pretty compelling counterexample.
2. It's not a counterexample to four.
3. Simmias' counterexample fails.
4. Radio waves aren't a counterexample to that.
5. We have a great counterexample.
credible
/ˈkɹɛdəbəɫ/
adjectiveable to be believed or relied on
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Examples
1. The threats were credible.
2. Was that credible?
3. Am I credible?
4. - Just following credible media outlets.
5. He's credible.
defense
/dɪˈfɛns/
nounthe case that is a combination of collected facts and adopted methods presented by or on the behalf of the accused party so that they would be granted a judgment of acquittal
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Examples
1. After spending more time with Howard, I developed a better understanding of his belief that everyone deserves a zealous defense.
2. No says defense.
3. The best offense is defense.
4. Close any gaps in your bases defenses.
5. Bulls play defense in different ways.
to defend
/dɪˈfɛnd/
verbto support someone or try to justify an action, plan, etc.
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Examples
1. Still, police defended their use of force.
2. The company had defended its efforts.
3. Defend my honor.
4. Defend the press.
5. These horsemen defended the French footmen until nightfall.
defensible
/dɪˈfɛnsəbəɫ/
adjectivecapable of being easily supported by arguments or adequately justified by reasoning
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Examples
1. That’s not even defensible as satire.
2. It's not defensible.
3. ROBERT WRIGHT: No, it's a totally defensible reaction.
4. Indeed, is entirely defensible.
5. As a result, on the 7th Mercy moved to a more defensible St. Peter valley.
dialectic
/ˌdaɪəˈɫɛktɪk/
nouna method of uncovering the truth about something by comparing contradicting ideas and considering different theories
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Examples
1. A dialectic is a philosophical term for an argument made up of three parts.
2. First, he's emphasizing dialectics in his criticism of Feuerbach.
3. But even in Greek philosophy, the idea of dialectics was emphasizing change and the process.
4. Now what was dialectics in Hegel?
5. - You choose dialectics when you have no other means.
dialectical
/ˌdaɪəˈɫɛktɪkəɫ/
adjectivediscovering the truth of ideas by logically discussing the opposite ideas
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Examples
1. The gold standard therapy for borderline personality disorder is dialectical behavior therapy.
2. Dialectical behavior therapy was developed for borderline personality disorder.
3. Dialectical behavioral therapy doesn't work.
4. For borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy is extremely helpful.
5. But what is dialectical?
to drive sth home
/dɹˈaɪv ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ hˈoʊm/
phraseto make something clear by emphasizing, or providing examples, proof, etc.
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Examples
1. They all got out at the same station, and Mr Edwards drove Mr. Wilson home in his car.
2. So every evening Howard drove Karin home.
3. Marcia thought Every evening that week, Howard drove Karin home after work.
4. Since around 2006, China has been the global leader in annual carbon emissions, surpassing the U.S. But seen the images alongside the data drove it home.
5. The availability of neutral colors such as white, black, gray or silver can also make a big difference, especially in a country like America, where customers are used to going to an auto dealership and driving a new car home on the same day.
evidence
/ˈɛvədəns/
nounanything that proves the truth or validity of something, such as facts, objects, or signs
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Examples
1. No evidence exists of an early device to enhance hearing, but it probably did exist.
2. But there's also evidence that it interferes with our hormonal system.
3. So therefore the earlier games give you evidence.
4. Evidence is for offscreen deaths.
5. Two career diplomats gave evidence on Wednesday.
to flatten
/ˈfɫætən/
verbto thoroughly defeat someone in an argument, a contest, etc.
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Examples
1. Spanx: Flatten your curves.
2. Flatten about two inches on one side of the straw.
3. Flattening the curve.
4. The tool flattens the rivets against the handle on both sides.
5. In all four cases, the presence of widespread social distancing absolutely flattens the curve.
to flesh out
/flˈɛʃ ˈaʊt/
verbto make something more clear by providing more details and information
Examples
for a start
/fɚɹə stˈɑːɹt/
phraseused to introduce the first point in the series, especially in arguments or when stating one's opinions, reasons, etc.
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Examples
1. For a start, we're not looking that hard, and we're spending a pitiful amount of money on it.
2. But no spray tan lasts a week for a start.
3. So if you're a superintelligence that's a singleton, and you want to make sure there's as many paper clips as possible, for a start, you'd want to get rid of all humans.
4. For a start, your tradition is different from his tradition and her tradition and they can't all be right.
5. For a start, if we try and go into another country for a public health mission, chances are we're gonna get greeted far less warmly because the WHO has never, you know, invaded a nation or funded a coup.
for starters
/fɔːɹ stˈɑːɹɾɚz/
phraseused to state the first and foremost of a series of facts, opinions, questions etc., especially in an argument
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Examples
1. For starters, she knows who the regular fliers are and what they like.
2. For starters, it's not the same fish.
3. For starters, Coke's diverse geographic position should provide the company with a steady stream of growth.
4. For starters, he plans to recommit to the Paris Agreement and invest two trillion dollars in clean energy initiatives.
5. For starters, they point out that buying a house without a mortgage is nearly impossible for most people.
for that matter
/fɔːɹ ðæt mˈæɾɚ/
adverbused to add a second statement to what one has just said
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Examples
1. Or for that matter, afford any health care.
2. For that matter, so did eventual peers John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Jay Gould, and James Mellon.
3. For that matter, the Milky Way itself is barely a blip on that scale.
4. For that matter, Haussmann's boulevards were too wide for barricades.
5. And so does the mango, for that matter.
furthermore
/ˈfɝðɝˌmɔɹ/
adverbin addition to what has just been stated; besides
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Examples
1. Furthermore, just east of the Lähde road, the invaders had created a gap in the defensive line.
2. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the battle of Talas in 751, the empire captured several Chinese prisoners of war.
3. Furthermore, in commercial applications, a big chunk of them actually use linear models.
4. Furthermore, the HD map provides information about the road geometry or unusual traffic events.
5. Furthermore, your food security goes down.