Lovers of language and etymology, your help please.

[MRM]

I think I finally found the right word: dissemble. It captures the meaning of both obscufating what you're saying and arguing something that you know is not true. It's something a sophist might do if he thought it was a tool that he could use convince you of something.

Verb (used with object), dissembled, dissembling.

1. to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of:
to dissemble one's incompetence in business.

2. to put on the appearance of; feign: to dissemble innocence.

Verb (used without object), dissembled, dissembling.


4. to conceal one's true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense; speak or act hypocritically.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

"Clintonize"?

Didn't make it that far back....first two that I came up with were

Obamulate and Bushify

[Jerome74911S]

Originally Posted by MRM

I think I finally found the right word: dissemble. It captures the meaning of both obscufating what you're saying and arguing something that you know is not true. It's something a sophist might do if he thought it was a tool that he could use convince you of something.

Verb (used with object), dissembled, dissembling.

1. to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of:
to dissemble one's incompetence in business.

2. to put on the appearance of; feign: to dissemble innocence.

Verb (used without object), dissembled, dissembling.


4. to conceal one's true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense; speak or act hypocritically.

Good choice. I enjoyed this thread - and learned a couple of words.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by nostatic

embiggen

You're fromulus...

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by stuartj

"the use of clever but false arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving".

Lots of folks over in PARF are experts at that.
They do it liberally

[Norm K]

Specious

adjective
1. apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible: