goalpost moving
Changing success criteria
Goalpost moving is changing the criteria for success after someone has met the original standard, making victory perpetually unattainable.
The image comes from shifting the goalposts on a playing field mid-game.
It's a common rhetorical tactic in arguments: Every time I meet her requirements, she moves the goalposts.
Also called shifting the goalposts.
- shiftingChanging position or form
- dodgeAvoid by quick movement
- evasionAct of escaping detection
- argumentReasoned case or dispute
- debateFormal argument on issues
bad faith argument · criteria · standards · threshold · unfair · rigged game · manipulation · bad faith · rationalization · deflection · straw man · logic · burden of proof · fallacy · excuse · target · benchmark · winning
- debate tacticsexaggeration, appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, logical fallacy, straw man
- evasionevasion, avoiding, avoids, evade, dodging
- disinformationdisinformation, misinformation, misinformation campaigns, fake news, propaganda
- fallaciesstraw man, red herring, circular reasoning, ad hominem, fallacy
- cyberbullyingcyberbullying, online harassment, targeted harassment, doxxing, threats
goalpost movinggood faith
Sincere, honest intent
intellectual honesty · fair play · consistency · straight dealing · admitting defeat
goal, post, goals, posts, moving, movers, movement, movements, goalie