Fine print

Sign at an astroturf anti-tax rally

We control what you think with Language

Said and done

Weasel word Linguistic discrimination Islamophilia Molehill mountaineering Religion of Peace IBGYBG

Jargon, buzzwords, slogans

Misandry The powers that be Transgender glossary Feminist glossary Big words IBGYBG v - t - e

Fine print is any print that is made to be noticeably inconspicuous with the primary intent to deceive. It's a kind of bullshit primarily used in advertising or contract law.

Fine print is usually the result of a legal technicality — a requirement for full disclosure, but few/no restrictions on the manner (typeface, size, color, etc.) of disclosure. In television, fine print is often neutralized with pleasant background images or music, and may be shown only very briefly, or in an inconspicuous color. The radio equivalent of fine print is "fast talking" — fine print read aloud and artificially sped up by computer. Fine print is ubiquitous, and research suggests that most consumers do not read it. Many offers, advertised in large print, expire very quickly, or only apply when certain conditions in the fine print are met; in many cases, these conditions are difficult or nearly impossible to meet. Fine print may even simply say the opposite of what the larger print says. Excessive fine print is a hallmark of quackery, pseudoscience, and scams, and a practice that in extreme cases constitutes consumer fraud. The Quack Miranda Warning is an example of fine print that has become standardized due to case law.

References

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