Vietnam

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:25 AM -0400 5/19/10, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>Is there an easy way to differentiate between someone who occasionally,
>in a limited number of instances, lies, as opposed to someone who has
>fabricated his biography consistently over a long period of time?
>
>They both appear to be liars, which is not helpful. Calling the
>occasional lies "misstatements" doesn't work for me, as it implies the
>lies were unintentional, which in my hypothetical example is not the case.
>
>DanG

How about a veterate liar? (as opposed to all those inveterate ones)

(Yes, yes, I know.)

LH

>
>On 5/19/2010 10:12 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>>It is certainly possible that Blumenthal might accidentally have said
>>"served in" when he meant "served during," but my opinion is that he could
>>have and should have caught and corrected himself.  In that split second he
>>chose not to.
>>
>>It would, of course, be far worse if - as some have done - he'd manufactured
>>a fake Vietnam service record.  Whether a politician's "mere" rhetorical
>>sleaze is enough to neutralize his actual accomplishements in office is, of
>>course, another issue.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org