false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue. (21 uses)

passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault. (7 uses)

misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue. (7 uses)

false equivalence - implying that two things are essentially the same, when they only have anecdotal similarities. (6 uses)

half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth. (5 uses)

appeal to pity - portraying oneself as a victim in order to gain sympathy and manufacture justification for attacking your opponents. (5 uses)

honor by association - Defending or championing cultural sacred cows in order to transfer the respect, authority, and prestige associated with those symbols onto oneself. (5 uses)

red herring - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand. (5 uses)

demonizing - characterizing a group or those who support an opposing viewpoint as threatening, immoral, or less than human. (4 uses)

fault as virtue - presenting a weakness or undesirable trait as a strength, by focusing on any positive aspect of it. (4 uses)

labeling - pigeon-holing a person or group into a simple category and assigning names and/or beliefs to that category. (4 uses)

post hoc - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist. (4 uses)

appeal to anonymous authority - insisting something is true because an unnamed expert, study, or generalized group (like 'scientists') say it's true. (4 uses)

exaggeration - stretching the truth to make something seem more powerful or meaningful than it actually is. (4 uses)

whataboutism - discrediting a criticism by accusing hypocrisy, in order to shift the focus away from oneself and onto others. (4 uses)

cherry picking - presenting only evidence that confirms your position, while ignoring or withholding an often more significant portion that contradicts it. (3 uses)

false dichotomy - giving the impression that there are only two opposing choices or options, while ignoring any middle ground exists between the two extremes. (3 uses)

proof by anecdote - making a broad generalization based on individual stories or isolated examples that support that generalization. (3 uses)

the last word - getting in the final words in an exchange to take advantage of the cognitive bias to remember best what is heard last. (2 uses)

appeal to ignorance - suggesting that something is true simply because it hasn’t yet been proven false. (2 uses)

poisoning the well - discrediting your opponent to an audience in advance, in order to encourage dismissing any future claims or accusations they may make against you. (2 uses)

dog whistle - ambiguous messaging used to stoke racial fear and anxiety and/or to covertly signal allegiance to certain subgroups of an audience. (2 uses)

FUD - raising uncertainty and doubt about an issue, while providing no specifics or actual evidence to support it. (2 uses)

guilt by association - using an opponent's links to another person or group to assign the other's beliefs, misdeeds, or other unattractive traits to the opponent. (2 uses)

scapegoating - placing unmerited blame on a person or group to channel societal resentment and frustration towards a common adversary or powerless victim. (2 uses)

virtue words - using words that are attractive to the value system of the target audience. (2 uses)

glittering generalities - vague, emotionally charged language used to evoke strong feelings or associations, while lacking in any specifics. (2 uses)

enough with political correctness - rebranding the voicing of of racism, bigotry, and xenophobia as just telling it like it is. (2 uses)

innuendo - implying something without actually saying it, which can't be refuted because it wasn't actually said. (1 use)

ad nauseum - repeating something over and over again, until it forms a mental association and/or becomes perceived as truth. (1 use)

common folk - connecting with an audience by showing that you understand and share their everyday experiences and concerns. (1 use)

dysphemism - replacing neutral language with more derogatory or unpleasant terms, to instill a negative association. (1 use)

fear-mongering - spreading exaggerated rumors or dire warnings of impending danger to arouse fear and undermine rational thinking about an issue. (1 use)

euphemism - replacing language that is accurate but may be offensive to your target audience with language that is more palatable or appealing. (1 use)

trolling - making inflammatory or controversial comments to provoke a strong, emotional reaction from an opponent. (1 use)

straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it. (1 use)

loaded question - presenting a question that has a presumption of guilt built into it. (1 use)

appeal to tradition - suggesting that moving away from or abandoning long-standing practice could have detrimental or even dangerous implications. (1 use)

adding qualifiers - adding an extra word or phrase to a response, which makes it ultimately meaningless, but still leaves the desired impression. (1 use)

baseless claim - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim. (1 use)

minimization - portraying something you don't want to address as trivial or insignificant, in order to shift the focus away from it and onto "more important" things. (1 use)

muddy the waters - bringing up irrelevant facts to confuse or complicate an issue, which may otherwise be relatively simple and easy to understand. (1 use)

demonizing the press - characterizing the press as the enemy, politically motivated, and dishonest. (1 use)