Is there a word that describes this particular sneaky play on words?
I'm wondering if there's a word that describes this type of language sneakiness:
I asked my boyfriend to stop talking to his ex-girlfriend, or I would break up with him. He agreed to stop talking to her. A week later, I find out he's been texting her all along, and when I confronted him, he said, "I said I'd stop talking to her, I didn't say I wouldn't text her."
This is just a made-up story, but I am wondering if there is a word in English that describes precisely this kind of deception.
Kind of like using semantics to get over on someone. Like a bad (or good?) lawyer, I guess.
Anyone have any ideas?
Solution 1:
You're asking for a term to describe the situation where someone does exactly what you asked, but still managed to avoid doing what you wanted.
It sounds like he's obeying the letter of the law but not its spirit.
The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law is an idiomatic antithesis. When one obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit, one is obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the "letter") of the law, but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the law. Conversely, when one obeys the spirit of the law but not the letter, one is doing what the authors of the law intended, though not necessarily adhering to the literal wording. - wikipedia
Solution 2:
Technicality
1 A point of law or a small detail of a set of rules, as contrasted with the intent or purpose of the rules. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/technicality
Much like @Lawrence's answer, the term technicality refers to the legal process, and in particular to where the letter of the law is followed but not the spirit. Typically this is due to a loophole being exploited.
This is typically used in reporting legal cases where the defendant, while widely believed to be guilty is let off due to the wording of a minor point of law or procedure. It would be said that they "got off on a technicality" It's also used in tax procedures, where an otherwise illegal tax avoidance/evasion technique is used that is actually permitted due to the wording of the tax code.
Solution 3:
Equivocation
Oxford Dictionaries Online defines equivocate as 'Use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself.'
Solution 4:
Pedantic /ADJECTIVE
- Excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous.
Source: Oxford English Dictionary online
The response from the boyfriend in the OP example can be described as a pedantic argument. It attempts to focus on the smallest of semantic arguments, while ignoring the clear implication that the original commitment - to stop talking to someone - would include texting and other forms of communication.