motte-and-bailey
Medieval defensive fortification
A motte-and-bailey is a medieval fortification combining a raised mound (motte) topped with a tower and an enclosed courtyard (bailey) below.
The design allowed defenders to retreat uphill if the outer wall fell.
In rhetoric, motte-and-bailey describes a bait-and-switch argument: someone advances a controversial claim (the bailey), then retreats to an easily defended truism (the motte) when challenged: When pressed, he pulled a motte-and-bailey—suddenly he was only saying correlation isn't causation.
Fortified medieval residence
- earthworkConstructed soil structure
- keepRetain or fortified tower
- ditchShallow excavated channel
- palisadeFence of pointed stakes
Norman · stronghold · rampart · tower · enclosure · wooden · medieval · defense
Reasoned case or dispute
- retreatSanctuary or withdrawal
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
- defensibleAble to be justified
- indefensibleCannot be justified
rhetoric · debate · bait-and-switch · conflation · strawman · position · claim · controversial
castle
Fortified medieval residence
palisade · Norman · stronghold · rampart · tower · enclosure · wooden · medieval · defense · hill
argument
Reasoned case or dispute
- retreatSanctuary or withdrawal
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
- defensibleAble to be justified
indefensible · rhetoric · debate · bait-and-switch · conflation · strawman · position · claim · controversial · modest
- castle partsmoat, keep, drawbridge, battlement, tower