a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc

to talk in a silly way or like a child for a long time about things that are not important or without saying anything important

speed and eagerness

showing care and helpful attention to someone

having or containing a lot of specialist knowledge

giving too much attention to formal rules or small details

quick in noticing, understanding or judging things accurately

not directly connected with or related to something

more than is needed or wanted

in a way that is careful or cautious

to persuade someone to do something in a clever and dishonest way, when they do not want to do it

very careful to behave correctly or to give attention to details

old-fashioned or unsuitable for modern society

to keep someone completely interested

An ad hominem (Latin: "to the man"), also known as argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to link the validity of a premise to a characteristic or belief of the person advocating the premise.

Ad hominem abuse

Ad hominem abuse (also called personal abuse or personal attacks) usually involves insulting or belittling one's opponent in order to invalidate his or her argument, but can also involve pointing out factual but ostensible character flaws or actions which are irrelevant to the opponent's argument. This tactic is logically fallacious because insults and even true negative facts about the opponent's personal character have nothing to do with the logical merits of the opponent's arguments or assertions.

Examples:

• "You can't believe Jack when he says the proposed policy would help the economy. He doesn't even have a job."
• "Candidate Jane's proposal about zoning is ridiculous. She was caught cheating on her taxes in 2003."

Ad hominem circumstantial

Ad hominem circumstantial points out that someone is in circumstances such that he is disposed to take a particular position. Ad hominem circumstantial constitutes an attack on the bias of a source. This is fallacious because a disposition to make a certain argument does not make the argument false; this overlaps with the genetic fallacy (an argument that a claim is incorrect due to its source).

Where the source taking a position seeks to convince us by a claim of authority, or personal observation, observation of their circumstances may reduce the evidentiary weight of the claims, sometimes to zero.^[4]

Examples:

Mandy Rice-Davies's famous testimony during the Profumo Affair, "Well, he would [say that], wouldn't he?", is an example of a valid circumstantial argument. Her point was that since a man in a prominent position, accused of an affair with a callgirl, would deny the claim whether it was true or false, his denial, in itself, carries little evidential weight against the claim of an affair. Note, however, that this argument is valid only insofar as it devalues the denial; it does not bolster the original claim. To construe evidentiary invalidation of the denial as evidentiary validation of the original claim is fallacious (on several different bases, including that of argumentum ad hominem); however likely the man in question would be to deny an affair that did in fact happen, he could only be more likely to deny an affair that never did.

Ad hominem tu quoque

Ad hominem tu quoque (lit: "You too!") refers to a claim that the source making the argument has spoken or acted in a way inconsistent with the argument. In particular, if Source A criticizes the actions of Source B, a tu quoque response is that Source A has acted in the same way. This argument is fallacious because it does not disprove the argument; if the premise is true then Source A may be a hypocrite, but this does not make the statement less credible from a logical perspective. Indeed, Source A may be in a position to provide personal testimony to support the argument.

For example, a father may tell his son not to start smoking as he will regret it when he is older, and the son may point out that his father is or was a smoker. This does not alter the fact that his son may regret smoking when he is older, and the fact his father was a smoker means he can talk from a position of experience.

Guilt by association

Guilt by association can sometimes also be a type of ad hominem fallacy, if the argument attacks a source because of the similarity between the views of someone making an argument and other proponents of the argument.

This form of the argument is as follows:

Source A makes claim B.

Group B also make claim B.

Therefore, source A is a member of group B.

showing many bright colours which change with movement

(the forming of) a guess about something based on how it seems and not on proof

very determined and refusing to be defeated by problems

friendly and easy to talk to

a model or other object which represents someone, especially one of a hated person which is hung or burnt in a public place

to be willing or likely to do something

adverb

used, especially in written English, when you want to give more detail or be more exact about something you have

just written

noun

willingness to believe that something is real or true

adjective

difficult, needing a lot of effort and energy

adjective

lazy; showing no real interest or effort

noun

formal a belief or custom that is not now considered as important and correct as it was in the past

noun

the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation

noun

[U] (an expression of) understanding and care for someone else's suffering

adjective

replacing someone else or used instead of something else

a strange or unusual habit, way of behaving or feature that someone or something has

adj

deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad

adj

not expected or planned

adj

rude and unfriendly

v

1)understand

2)ormal to catch and arrest someone who has not obeyed the law

n

a set of mathematical instructions that must be followed in a fixed order, and that, especially if given to a computer, will help to calculate an answer to a mathematical problem

n

2. Geology . the appearance and characteristics of a sedimentary deposit, esp. as they reflect the conditions and environment of deposition and serve to distinguish the deposit from contiguous deposits.

adj

solving problems in a realistic way which suits the present conditions rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas or rules

Temporarily quiet and not active

adj

formal containing important new ideas and having a great influence on later work

n

something which encourages a particular activity or makes that activity more energetic or effective

v

to make a formal statement saying that a public official is guilty of a serious offence in connection with their job, especially in the US

n

the combined power of a group of things when they are working together which is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately

adj

Of, relating to, or growing in or under snow: nival species of plants.

adj.

n

a person, thing or idea which exists out of its time in history, especially one which happened or existed later than the period being shown, discussed, etc.

adj

very twisted

at first sight (= based on what seems to be the truth when first seen or heard)

(NOUN)
(used in) everyday speech

“The French I learnt in school is very different from the local vernacular of the village I’m
now living in.”

(VERB)
express a negative opinion of
"The actor's work for charity has recently been disparaged in the press as an attempt to
get publicity."

adjective

artificial and inferior
"I'm allowed to eat ersatz chocolate made from carob beans, but it's a poor substitute
for the real thing."

(VERB)

contain the essential truths in
"It was very difficult to encapsulate the story of the revolution in a single one-hour
documentary."

adjective

not genuine
"Some of the arguments in favour of shutting the factory are questionable and others
downright spurious."

noun

sharp, spiteful speech; a highly corrosive acid
"He is a writer who has often been criticized by the press but never before with such
vitriol."

(NOUN)

future generations of people
"Every attempt is being made to ensure that these works of art are preserved for
posterity."

(NOUN)

rewrite a text using the same language but a different writing system
"On the road signs, the Greek place names have been transliterated into the Latin
alphabet."

(ADJECTIVE)

vastly different
"The two cultures were so utterly disparate that she found it hard to adapt from one to
the other."

(NOUN)

name that misrepresents its meaning
"It was the scruffiest place I've ever stayed in, so 'Hotel Royal' was a bit of a misnomer."

(ADJECTIVE)
not easily shocked
"She's totally unflappable - you have to be when working in such a highly-pressured
environment."

(NOUN)
composure under strain
"Rosalind conducted the meeting with characteristic aplomb/with her usual aplomb."

noun

formal a change back to a previous and often worse condition

adj

describes a theory or argument that cannot be supported or defended against criticism

noun

strong difference of opinion on a particular subject; disagreement, especially about an official suggestion or plan or a popular belief

verb

to prove that a person's will has been made correctly and that the information it contains is correct

noun

the arrival of a large number of people or things at the same time

adj

describes someone who has died without leaving instructions about who should be given their property

noun

a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something

noun

a strip of cloth which is tied tightly round an injured arm or leg to stop it bleeding

adj

relating to the countryside

noun

something which fails to represent the values and qualities that it is intended to represent, in a way that is shocking or offensive

adj

describes something that is spoken or written in a way that is direct, clever and cruel

adj

rude, unfriendly and unpleasant

n

clever, dishonest talk or behaviour which is used to deceive people

v

to make something which is already bad worse

adj

used to describe something as another, more exciting, interesting or unusual thing, as a way of emphasizing its character

adj

disapproving

n

a carefully planned way of achieving or dealing with something, often involving a trick