poison the well
Discredit before arguing
To poison the well is to preemptively discredit a source of information or a person before they can make their case, making it difficult for others to accept what follows.
The phrase evokes the medieval tactic of contaminating an enemy's water supply.
In argument and rhetoric, someone poisons the well by attacking an opponent's character or motives in advance: Before she could even present her findings, he poisoned the well by suggesting she had financial ties to the industry.
- badmouthCriticize someone harshly
- defameHarm reputation falsely
- ad hominemArgument targeting character
- slanderSpoken false defamation
- preemptive strikeAttack to forestall aggression
bad faith argument · set up to fail · framing · smear · throw dirt · dirty tricks · muddying the waters · fearmongering · red herring · straw man · bias · gaslighting · prejudicial · propaganda · misinformation · character assassination · tar and feather · appeal to emotion
- dirty tacticsdirty trick, dirty tricks, dirty pool, foul play, cheap shot
poison the wellbenefit of the doubt
Favorable judgment amid uncertainty
level playing field · fair hearing · fair play · good faith argument · due process
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