Talk:Term of art

Relevant?

Some words can be used to convey a message counter to their actual meaning. For example, advertisements in the back of gentlemen's magazines used to say things like "this powerful placebo will <do that thing you want> right away" or "this spurious formula has been extensively tested." In such cases, the pitch relies on low-information marks not knowing what "placebo" or "spurious" actually mean, but inferring a positive connotation from the context. MaillardFillmore (talk) 15:59, 19 November 2015 (UTC)