[possibly from gestures c
haracteristic of stage magicians] To gloss over a complex point to distract a listener to support a (possibly actually valid) point wit
h blatantly faulty logic. If someone starts a sentence wit
h "Clearly..." or "Obviously..." or "It is self-evident t
hat...", it is a good bet
he is about to
handwave (alternatively, use of t
hese constructions in a sarcastic tone before a parap
hrase of someone else' s argument suggests t
hat it is a
handwave). T
he t
heory be
hind t
his term is t
hat if you wave your
hands at t
he rig
ht moment, t
he listener may be sufficiently distracted to not notice t
hat w
hat you
have said is wrong. Failing t
hat, if a listener does object, you mig
ht try to dismiss t
he objection wit
h a wave of your
hand. T
he use of t
his word is often accompanied by gestures: bot
h hands up, palms forward, swinging t
he
hands in a vertical plane pivoting at t
he elbows and/or s
houlders (depending on t
he magnitude of t
he
handwave) alternatively,
holding t
he forearms in one position w
hile rotating t
he
hands at t
he wrist to make t
hem flutter. In context, t
he gestures alone can suffice as a remark if a speaker makes an outrageously unsupported assumption, you mig
ht simply wave your
hands in t
his way, as an accusation, far more eloquent t
han words could express, t
hat
his logic is faulty. [
href="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Jargon File">Jargon File]
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[ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=134">= ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=396">ag ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=411">ai ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=433">al ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=531">alt ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=544">am ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=592">an ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=740">ar ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=743">arc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=759">arg ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=760">argument ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=800">as ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=894">at ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=935">au ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=996">av ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1026">b ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1181">be ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1368">bj ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1380">blat ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1444">bo ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1501">bot ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1691">bv ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1695">by ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1708">C ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1724">ca ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1859">cast ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1896">cc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2001">ch ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2018">char ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2019">character ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2099">ci ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2247">co ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2330">com ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2545">con ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2606">cons ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2639">context ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2900">cu ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3151">de ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3436">ding ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3565">do ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3752">du ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3865">ec ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3896">ed ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3953">eh ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4148">er ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4171">es ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4199">et ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4425">fault ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4497">fi ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4520">file ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4700">fo ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4727">for ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4786">forward ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4828">fr ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5057">ge ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5134">gh ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5141">gi ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5171">gl ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5205">gn ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5403">gu ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5434">h ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5540">hat ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5768">hr ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5779">ht ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5931">id ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5956">ie ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6013">il ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6064">in ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6194">int ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6413">io ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6482">is ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6558">it ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6589">J ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6620">Jargon File ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6789">ke ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6918">la ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7009">lb ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7023">ld ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7091">Lex ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7107">li ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7220">list ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7354">loss ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7399">ls ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7410">lt ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7415">lu ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7441">ly ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7463">ma ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7521">magic ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8032">mo ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8040">mod ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8079">module ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8167">mp ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8228">ms ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8386">na ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8460">nc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8472">ne ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8627">ng ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8630">ni ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8675">no ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8760">ns ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8820">O ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8838">object ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8964">om ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9204">pa ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9457">pe ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9550">ph ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9651">pl ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9738">ply ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9762">point ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9821">port ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9908">pr ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10144">pt ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10253">query ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10364">rc ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10385">re ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10754">rl ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10767">ro ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10887">ru ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10914">rw ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10922">sa ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11150">se ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11229">sentence ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11314">sh ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11376">si ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11506">sit ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11525">sl ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11556">sm ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11651">so ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11787">speaker ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11934">st ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12109">struct ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12133">su ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12165">sum ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12206">support ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12359">T ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12380">tag ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12416">tar ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12567">text ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12588">th ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12602">theory ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12721">to ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12734">tone ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12787">tr ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12896">tt ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12986">ua ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13008">ug ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13030">um ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13146">up ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13175">us ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13252">va ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13310">ve ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13366">vi ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13608">wav ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13694">while ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13725">win ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13820">word ] [ href="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13877">ws ]