David,
Thanks. I didn’t reread my post carefully enough or I might have figured it out.
The word is not just a normal turn of phrase in the USA but also in academic circles. For anyone unfamiliar with Harry Frankfurt’s book on the subject, I recommend it. It is readable, short, and interesting. He defines the term not as a lie but as a more insidious threat to truth—a style of talking that undermines the notion that something is right or wrong (in the sense of correct or incorrect) while an outright lie at least acknowledges that something is or is not true.
Gunnar
Gunnar Swanson
East Carolina University
graphic design program
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cfac/soad/graphic/index.cfm
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Gunnar Swanson Design Office
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> On Dec 29, 2017, at 7:55 AM, David Durling <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi Gunnar
>
> I think it’s the word beginning with bull... Somebody else had a similar problem a little while back. I know it’s a normal turn of phrase in USA, but clearly not in all other countries. I wish I could recommend alternatives, but my online thesaurus doesn’t allow use of the word either.
>
> kind regards
> David
>
> ____________________________________
>
> David Durling HonFDRS PhD http://durling.tel
>
>
>> On 29 Dec 2017, at 12:41, Gunnar Swanson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> If anyone knows what I wrote that was "unacceptable language" or "inappropriate material," will you let me know? I’m often not very good at understanding acceptability of language and claims regarding things being "inappropriate."
>>
>>
>> Gunnar
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