[Ads-l] say the quiet part out loud

[Laurence Horn]

Taking a step back, I’ve been struck by the sense that the expression of saying the quiet part out loud evokes a echo, or perhaps an inversion, of a resonant line from Pascal that appears in his mockery of the contemporary Jesuits’ doctrine of mental reservations, the contortionist methods proposed for escaping responsibility for apparent lies through a radical intentionalist view of meaning.  Here’s Pascal’s commentary in the form of a dialogue between an honest if apparently naîve narrator and a (fictitious) Jesuit priest, from his ninth Provincial Letter (1656), pp. 101-2, https://archive.org/details/leslettresprovin00pasc/page/102/mode/2up.  The translation is mine based on the standard 1856 translation by Thomas M’Crie (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/73959/pg73959-images.html), p. 199.

“Here is something new: the doctrine of mental reservations. A man may swear, as Sanchez says..., that he never did such a thing (though he actually did it), meaning within himself that he did not do it on a certain day, or before he was born, or understanding any similar circumstance, while the words he employs do not reveal his meaning. And this is very convenient in many cases, and quite innocent, when necessary or conducive to one’s health, honor, or well-being.”
   “Indeed, Father! Is that not a lie, or even perjury?”
  “No,” said the Father; “Sanchez proves it is not, and our Father Filiutius as well, because, he says, 'It is the intention that determines the quality of the action'. And he suggests a still surer method for avoiding falsehood, which is this: After saying aloud, 'I swear that I have not done that', to add, in a low voice, ‘today'; or after saying aloud, 'I swear', to interpose in a whisper, 'that I say', and then continue aloud, 'that I have done that'. This, you perceive, is telling the truth.”
   “I grant it,” said I; “it might possibly, however, be found to be telling the truth quietly, and a lie out loud.”

[dire la vérité tout bas et un mensonge tout haut]

LH

> On Jul 1, 2025, at 2:22 PM, Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM> wrote:
> 
> This is in fact a Simpsons reference, from the episode "A Star is Burns", from March 5, 1995.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMHt481HsFU
> 
> Jesse Sheidlower
> 
> On Tue, Jul 01, 2025 at 02:15:40PM -0400, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>> 'To utter openly and unapologetically something that would be expected to
>> be hidden or kept quiet'
>> 
>> I've heard this many, many times on cable news for several years - usually
>> in political contexts.
>> 
>> 2017 _South Florida Sun-Sentinel_ (Fort Lauderdale) (Dec. 2) 11A
>> [Newspapers.com]:  Sen. Marco Rubio...said the quiet parts out loud...."We
>> have to generate economic growth revenue...while reducing spending. That
>> will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare
>> for the future."
>> 
>> 2020 _Daily Oklahoman_ (Apr. 8) B2 [GenealogyBank]: It's about him
>> saying the quiet part out loud regarding how many college coaches view
>> their players.
>> 
>> JL
>> -- 
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>> 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org