moved the goalposts
Shifted success criteria
Moved the goalposts means to change the rules or criteria after someone has already tried to meet them, making success unfairly difficult or impossible.
The image is of literally relocating the goals in a sport so that a valid attempt no longer counts: Every time I meet her standards, she moves the goalposts.
The phrase implies bad faith—shifting requirements to deny someone credit or keep them striving indefinitely.
- equivocateSpeak vaguely to mislead
- unfairnessUnjust or biased treatment
- no fairCry against injustice
- rigged gameContest with predetermined outcome
- stacked deckPre-arranged cards for cheating
loaded dice · change · alteration · contravene · double standards · double dealing · shifting · manipulation · confirmation bias · framing effect · inconsistency · rationalization · gaslighting · misdirection · bad faith · unpredictability · cheating · deception