Terminological inexactitude

Terminological inexactitude is a phrase introduced in 1906 by British politician Winston Churchill . It is used as a euphemism or circumlocution meaning a lie , an untruth, or a substantially correct but technically inaccurate statement.

Churchill first used the phrase following the 1906 election . Speaking in the House of Commons on 22 February 1906 as Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office , he had occasion to repeat what he had said during the campaign. When asked that day whether the Government was condoning slavery of Chinese labourers in the Transvaal , Churchill replied: ^[1]

The conditions of the Transvaal ordinance ... cannot in the opinion of His Majesty's Government be classified as slavery; at least, that word in its full sense could not be applied without a risk of terminological inexactitude. ^[1]^[2]

It has been used as a euphemism for a lie in the House of Commons, as to accuse another member of lying would be considered unparliamentary .

In more recent times, the term was used by Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg to the Leader of the Opposition , Jeremy Corbyn over an accusation that Rees-Mogg's company had moved a hedge fund into the Eurozone despite his being in favour of Brexit . ^[3]^[4]^[5]