331:). When the proponents use the term, they are conceding that they know an ancillary point of or intermediate step in their arguments is poorly supported; they are suggesting that such details are not important and do not affect their key arguments or conclusions, and that the hand-waved details should be excluded from current consideration. Examples include when they believe a statement is true but cannot prove it at that time, and when the sources upon which they are relying conflict in minor ways: "I'm hand-waving over the exact statistics here, but they all show at least a 20% increase, so let's move on".
52:, misdirection and the glossing over of details. It is also used academically to indicate unproven claims and skipped steps in proofs (sometimes intentionally, as in lectures and instructional materials), with some specific meanings in particular fields, including literary criticism, speculative fiction, mathematics, logic, science and engineering.
397:" (a.k.a. "unobtainium", among other humorous names) is sometimes referred to in situations where the plot requires access to a substance of great value and properties that cannot be explained by real-world science, but is convenient to solving, or central to creating, a problem for the characters in the story. Perhaps the best known example is the
259:, and in political discourse frequently involve unjustified assignment or transference of blame. Hand-waving is not itself a fallacy; the proponent's argument may incidentally be correct despite their failure to properly support it. A tertiary meaning refers to use of poorly-reasoned arguments specifically to impress or to persuade.
368:(e.g., a scientific discovery, a political development, or rules governing the behavior of a fictional creature) that is left unexplained or sloppily explained because it is convenient to the story, with the implication that the writer is aware of the logical weakness but hopes the audience will not notice or will
449:
The mathematical profession tends to be receptive to informed critiques from any listener, and a claimant to a new result is expected to be able to answer any such question with a logical argument, up to a full proof. Should a speaker apparently fail to give such an answer, anyone in the audience who
307:
involves a subtle hand wave with mystical powers – that only work on the weak-minded – to disguise reality and compel compliance. Consequently, there is an implication in current usage that a hand-waver may be craftily intending to deceive, and has a low opinion of the intelligence of the opponent or
164:
constructions such as "vigorous hand-waving", "waved their hand furiously", "lots of waving of hands", etc., are used to imply that the hand-waver lacks confidence in the information being conveyed, cannot convincingly express or defend the core of the argument being advanced. The descriptive epithet
55:
The term can additionally be used in work situations, when attempts are made to display productivity or assure accountability without actually resulting in them. The term can also be used as a self-admission of, and suggestion to defer discussion about, an allegedly unimportant weakness in one's own
275:
If someone starts a sentence with "Clearly..." or "Obviously..." or "It is self-evident that...", it is a good bet he is about to handwave (alternatively, use of these constructions in a sarcastic tone before a paraphrase of someone else's argument suggests that it is a handwave). The theory behind
489:
in physics and engineering education. However, competent, well-intentioned researchers and professors also rely on explicitly declared hand-waving when, given a limited time, a large result must be shown and minor technical details cannot be given much attention—e.g., "it can be shown that
323:
In an unplanned debate or presentation, an off-the-cuff essay, or an informal discussion, the proponent may have little or no time for preparation. Participants in such exchanges may use the term in reference to their own arguments, in the same sense as an author admitting a minor plot flaw
442:. In practice, it often involves the use of unrepresentative examples, unjustified assumptions, key omissions and faulty logic, and while these may be useful in expository papers and seminar presentations, they ultimately fall short of the standard of proof needed to establish a result.
85:, and suggests that the speaker or writer seems to believe that if they, figuratively speaking, simply wave their hands, no one will notice or speak up about the holes in the reasoning. This implication of misleading intent has been reinforced by the pop-culture influence of the
526:-laden rationalizations for delays or otherwise poor performance, and plausible-sounding but weak excuse-making and attention-deflecting tactics. In employment situations, as in political discourse, a hand-waving effort may seek to shift blame to other parties.
276:
this term is that if you wave your hands at the right moment, the listener may be sufficiently distracted to not notice that what you have said is bogus . Failing that, if a listener does object, you might try to dismiss the objection with a wave of your hand.
450:
can supply the needed demonstration may sometimes upstage the speaker. The objector in such a case might receive some measure credit for the theorem the hand-waver presented. The opposite of hand-waving in mathematics (and related fields) is sometimes called
155:
may be preferred in some circles, and are well attested. "Hand waving" is mostly used otherwise, e.g. "she had one hand waving, the other on the rail", but is found in some dictionaries in this form. A more arch, mock-antiquarian construction is
102:
Actual hand-waving motions may be used either by a speaker to indicate a desire to avoid going into details, or by critics to indicate that they believe the proponent of an argument is engaging in a verbal hand-wave inappropriately.
184:
However it is spelled, the expression is also used in the original literal meaning of gesturing in a greeting, departing, excited, or attention-seeking manner by waving the hands, as in "friendly were the hand-waving crowds ..." (—
461:: " subject is the most curious of all—there is none in which truth plays such odd pranks. It has the most elaborate and the most fascinating technique, and gives unrivalled openings for the display of sheer professional skill."
425:
to describe actions and conversations that are quickly glossed over, rather than acted out in full according to the rules. This may be done to keep from bogging down the play of the game with time-consuming but minor details.
308:(especially) an audience or the general public. The labels "Jedi hand wave" and "Jedi mind trick" themselves are sometimes applied, in a tongue-in-cheek way, to this manipulation technique in public discourse; US Congressman
280:
The implication that hand-waving is done with the specific intent to mislead has long been attached to the term, due to the use of literal waving of a hand – either natural-looking or showy, but never desperate – by
239:, and informal discussion and writing. If the opponent in a debate or a commentator on an argument alleges hand-waving, it suggests that the proponent of the argument, position or message has engaged in one or more
518:
has been used to describe work-related situations where productivity is seemingly displayed, but deliverables are not produced, especially in the context of intentional engagement in
189:), which dates to the mid-17th century as a hyphenated verb and the early 19th century United States as a fully compounded verb. It is unclear when the figurative usage arose. The
687:
Usage patterns are easily observable with Google and other search engines, which also reveal the difficulty of excluding false positives from various particular search terms.
529:
Another use is in reference to fiscal problems, such as an inability to adequately explain accounting discrepancies or an avoidance of accountability for missing funds.
348:
allows a team to pursue a line a reasoning based on a scenario that is not presently true, if a judge is satisfied that the case has been that it could become true.
44:
label for attempting to be seen as effective – in word, reasoning, or deed – while actually doing nothing effective or substantial. It is often applied to
781:
454:, which refers to the unimaginative development of a narrow line of reasoning that—while correct—can also end up making the subject dry and uninteresting.
741:
675:
255:
inherent in the sense of the term has become a key part of the meaning. The fallacies in question vary, but often include one of the many variants of
700:
962:
989:
641:
504:
764:
297:
props or other trick being used in the performance. This meaning has become reinforced in recent decades by the influence of
195:
lists it as "extended use", and it appears primarily in modern
American dictionaries, some of which label it as "informal".
829:
501:
created in support of land-development applications, especially those involving metal mining and aggregate extraction.
727:
497:
Another example of hand-waving can be found in the oversimplifications of the geologic representations commonly used in
294:
191:
169:
has been applied to those engaging in hand-waving, but is not common. The opposite of hand-waving is sometimes called
947:
317:
538:
789:
77:, perceived as unproductive, distracting or nervous, in communication or other effort. The term also evokes the
507:
are approximate ways to get an answer by over-simplification, and are comparable to hand-waving in this sense.
398:
749:
845:
708:
590:
369:
999:
313:
112:
548:
443:
299:
864:
712:
482:
344:
286:
478:
361:
256:
212:
951:
880:
854:
629:
439:
422:
357:
335:
228:
208:
124:
57:
908:
994:
637:
498:
872:
543:
474:
411:
383:
282:
244:
224:
959:
966:
625:
406:
378:
304:
290:
78:
868:
943:
650:
186:
136:
116:
115:
varies (both with regard to this idiom and the everyday human communication gesture of
31:
983:
579:
486:
457:
The rationale for this culture of hyper-critical scrutiny is suggested by a quote of
402:
339:
236:
74:
884:
811:
932:
92:
659:
937:
470:
458:
365:
309:
267:
220:
161:
144:
82:
876:
394:
41:
30:
This article is about the idiomatic term. For the everyday human gesture, see
519:
387:
373:
91:
franchise, in which mystically powerful hand-waving is fictionally used for
87:
49:
523:
522:
or pretend-work, vague claims of overwork or complications, impenetrably
434:
In mathematics, and disciplines in which mathematics plays a major role,
338:, certain forms of hand-waving may sometimes be explicitly permitted. In
216:
70:
60:, certain cases of this form of hand-waving may be explicitly permitted.
45:
17:
843:
Garner, Richard (2006). "Polycategories via pseudo-distributive laws".
240:
494:
is an even number", as an intermediary step in reaching a conclusion.
859:
438:
refers to either absence of formal proof or methods that do not meet
204:
128:
655:
830:"IN Focus: Rep. Messer calls President's speech 'Jedi mind trick'"
232:
67:
748:. American English. Oxford University Press. 2015. Archived from
56:
argument's evidence, to forestall an opponent dwelling on it. In
971:
676:
247:, and/or glossed over non-trivial details, and is attempting to
916:
University of
California Berkeley — The Department of Astronomy
251:
challenges and deflect questions, as if swatting at flies. The
776:
774:
95:, and some uses of the term in public discourse are explicit
909:"Order-of-Magnitude Physics: Hand-Waving as Performance Art"
695:
693:
812:"Obama's 'Jedi mind trick' and a revealing admission"
674:
An example in the sports press of "Jedi mind trick":
658:
mentions a ver. 4.4.8, but the text of the work says
401:, a fictional drug with supernatural properties, in
897:G. H. Hardy (1940). "A Mathematician's Apology".
574:
572:
570:
568:
566:
564:
303:(1977) and its sequels, in which the fictional
273:
203:Handwaving is frequently used in low-quality
8:
670:
668:
73:, derived in part from the use of excessive
289:their attention from the mechanisms of the
123:is the most common spelling of the unitary
27:Term for attempting to be seen as effective
327:
858:
788:. American English. 2015. Archived from
620:
618:
616:
614:
612:
610:
608:
606:
604:
358:literary, film and other media criticism
560:
707:(British and World English ed.).
7:
356:By extension, handwaving is used in
176:
976:February/March 1996, pp. 6–7.
465:In applied science and engineering
25:
762:This is an online edition of the
505:Back-of-the-envelope calculations
596:The Dictionary of American Slang
969:, humor essay by James Lavin,
765:New Oxford American Dictionary
40:(with various spellings) is a
1:
725:This is an online edition of
312:'s use of it in reference to
728:Oxford Dictionary of English
446:is one form of hand-waving.
328:§ In literary criticism
192:Oxford Dictionary of English
944:"And then a miracle occurs"
636:(3rd ed.). MIT Press.
634:The New Hacker's Dictionary
632:, eds. (1996). "handwave".
485:, especially in the use of
325:
263:The New Hacker's Dictionary
174:
1016:
786:Oxford Dictionaries Online
746:Oxford Dictionaries Online
705:Oxford Dictionaries Online
318:State of the Union address
285:to distract audiences and
81:distraction techniques of
29:
960:"Proving almost anything"
877:10.1016/j.aim.2008.02.001
731:with additional material.
539:List of logical fallacies
469:Hand-waving arguments in
990:Mathematical terminology
393:The fictional material "
48:techniques that involve
846:Advances in Mathematics
709:Oxford University Press
591:Random House Dictionary
421:has come to be used in
711:. 2015. Archived from
314:President Barack Obama
278:
933:"Proof by Handwaving"
549:Proof by intimidation
444:Proof by intimidation
352:In literary criticism
320:generated headlines.
209:political campaigning
177:§ In mathematics
715:on November 10, 2015
483:dimensional analysis
199:In debate, generally
111:The spelling of the
107:Spelling and history
869:2006math......6735G
792:on February 1, 2016
752:on February 1, 2016
362:speculative fiction
257:argument to emotion
131:in this usage, and
965:2011-07-21 at the
953:American Scientist
832:. 17 January 2016.
818:. 13 January 2016.
499:groundwater models
479:order-of-magnitude
440:mathematical rigor
423:role-playing games
336:debate competition
241:fallacies of logic
229:tabloid journalism
125:present participle
58:debate competition
651:"The Jargon File"
372:regarding such a
370:suspend disbelief
342:, the concept of
143:dominates as the
16:(Redirected from
1007:
920:
919:
913:
907:Chiang, Eugene.
904:
898:
895:
889:
888:
862:
840:
834:
833:
826:
820:
819:
808:
802:
801:
799:
797:
778:
769:
761:
759:
757:
738:
732:
724:
722:
720:
697:
688:
685:
679:
672:
663:
654:
648:Online edition:
647:
626:Raymond, Eric S.
622:
599:
587:
576:
544:Proof by example
475:applied sciences
384:continuity error
330:
225:public relations
180:
173:in mathematics (
158:waving of hands
21:
1015:
1014:
1010:
1009:
1008:
1006:
1005:
1004:
980:
979:
967:Wayback Machine
950:, published in
929:
924:
923:
911:
906:
905:
901:
896:
892:
842:
841:
837:
828:
827:
823:
810:
809:
805:
795:
793:
780:
779:
772:
755:
753:
740:
739:
735:
718:
716:
699:
698:
691:
686:
682:
673:
666:
649:
644:
624:
623:
602:
578:
577:
562:
557:
535:
513:
493:
467:
432:
407:science-fantasy
379:deus ex machina
354:
305:Jedi mind trick
291:sleight-of-hand
268:The Jargon File
201:
109:
79:sleight-of-hand
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1013:
1011:
1003:
1002:
997:
992:
982:
981:
978:
977:
957:
941:
928:
927:External links
925:
922:
921:
899:
890:
853:(3): 781–827.
835:
821:
803:
770:
733:
689:
680:
664:
642:
630:Steele, Guy L.
600:
584:Dictionary.com
559:
558:
556:
553:
552:
551:
546:
541:
534:
531:
512:
509:
491:
487:Fermi problems
481:estimates and
477:often include
466:
463:
452:nose-following
431:
430:In mathematics
428:
405:'s far-future
364:to refer to a
353:
350:
250:
237:Internet memes
233:opinion pieces
215:, issue-based
200:
197:
187:Sinclair Lewis
171:nose-following
137:simple present
108:
105:
32:Wave (gesture)
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1012:
1001:
1000:Hand gestures
998:
996:
993:
991:
988:
987:
985:
975:
973:
968:
964:
961:
958:
956:
954:
949:
948:Sidney Harris
946:, cartoon by
945:
942:
940:
939:
935:, article at
934:
931:
930:
926:
917:
910:
903:
900:
894:
891:
886:
882:
878:
874:
870:
866:
861:
856:
852:
848:
847:
839:
836:
831:
825:
822:
817:
813:
807:
804:
791:
787:
783:
782:"hand-waving"
777:
775:
771:
767:
766:
751:
747:
743:
737:
734:
730:
729:
714:
710:
706:
702:
696:
694:
690:
684:
681:
677:
671:
669:
665:
661:
657:
652:
645:
643:0-262-68092-0
639:
635:
631:
627:
621:
619:
617:
615:
613:
611:
609:
607:
605:
601:
597:
593:
592:
585:
581:
575:
573:
571:
569:
567:
565:
561:
554:
550:
547:
545:
542:
540:
537:
536:
532:
530:
527:
525:
521:
517:
510:
508:
506:
502:
500:
495:
488:
484:
480:
476:
472:
464:
462:
460:
455:
453:
447:
445:
441:
437:
429:
427:
424:
420:
416:
414:
413:
408:
404:
403:Frank Herbert
400:
399:spice melange
396:
391:
389:
385:
381:
380:
375:
371:
367:
363:
359:
351:
349:
347:
346:
341:
340:policy debate
337:
332:
329:
321:
319:
315:
311:
306:
302:
301:
296:
292:
288:
284:
277:
272:
270:
269:
264:
260:
258:
254:
248:
246:
242:
238:
234:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
198:
196:
194:
193:
188:
182:
178:
172:
168:
163:
159:
154:
150:
146:
142:
138:
134:
130:
126:
122:
118:
114:
106:
104:
100:
98:
94:
90:
89:
84:
80:
76:
75:gesticulation
72:
69:
65:
61:
59:
53:
51:
47:
43:
39:
33:
19:
970:
952:
936:
915:
902:
893:
860:math/0606735
850:
844:
838:
824:
815:
806:
794:. Retrieved
790:the original
785:
763:
754:. Retrieved
750:the original
745:
736:
726:
717:. Retrieved
713:the original
704:
683:
633:
595:
589:
583:
528:
515:
514:
503:
496:
468:
456:
451:
448:
435:
433:
418:
417:
410:
392:
377:
355:
343:
333:
322:
298:
283:illusionists
279:
274:
271:) observes:
266:
262:
261:
252:
207:, including
202:
190:
183:
170:
166:
157:
152:
148:
140:
132:
120:
110:
101:
99:references.
96:
93:mind control
86:
63:
62:
54:
37:
36:
938:Everything2
796:January 26,
756:January 26,
719:January 26,
701:"hand-wave"
580:"hand wave"
516:Hand-waving
511:In business
471:engineering
459:G. H. Hardy
436:hand-waving
419:Hand-waving
366:plot device
310:Luke Messer
253:distraction
221:advertising
162:Superlative
145:noun-phrase
121:hand-waving
83:stage magic
64:Hand-waving
38:Hand-waving
984:Categories
974:Potentials
742:"handwave"
588:Cites the
555:References
473:and other
395:handwavium
334:In formal
243:, usually
213:commentary
167:hand-waver
149:Handwaving
42:pejorative
520:busy work
388:plot hole
374:macguffin
300:Star Wars
295:gimmicked
287:misdirect
249:wave away
141:hand wave
133:hand-wave
119:). While
97:Star Wars
88:Star Wars
68:idiomatic
50:fallacies
18:Hand-wave
995:Rhetoric
963:Archived
955:magazine
885:17057235
816:BBC News
678: .
656:Homepage
653:. 4.4.7.
533:See also
524:buzzword
316:'s 2016
265:(a.k.a.
245:informal
217:advocacy
153:handwave
113:compound
71:metaphor
46:debating
865:Bibcode
598:4th ed.
586:. 2016.
179:, below
135:of the
883:
640:
409:epic,
205:debate
147:form.
139:verb,
129:gerund
117:waving
66:is an
912:(PDF)
881:S2CID
855:arXiv
660:4.4.7
972:IEEE
798:2015
758:2015
721:2015
638:ISBN
594:and
412:Dune
345:fiat
326:see
223:and
211:and
175:see
151:and
127:and
873:doi
851:218
386:or
360:of
181:).
986::
914:.
879:.
871:.
863:.
849:.
814:.
784:.
773:^
744:.
703:.
692:^
667:^
628:;
603:^
582:.
563:^
415:.
390:.
382:,
376:,
293:,
235:,
231:,
227:,
219:,
160:.
918:.
887:.
875::
867::
857::
800:.
768:.
760:.
723:.
662:.
646:.
492:z
324:(
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.