hand waving

See also: handwaving and hand-waving

English

Alternative forms

• hand-waving, handwaving

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

hand waving (plural hand wavings)

1. (idiomatic) Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.

   The sales pitch sounded good, but there was a lot of hand waving about the price.

   • 2000 August 21, “letter”, in Time:

     Protesters who demand that this brilliantly humane enterprise be stopped should have their motives questioned. Their protest is nothing but the mindless hand waving of Luddites.

Derived terms

• handwavium

 

Related terms

• handwave
• handwaving
• handwavy
• wave of the hand

 

Translations

argumentation involving approximation

• Arabic: تَلْوِيح بِالْيَد m (talwīḥ bi-l-yad)
• Finnish: käsienheiluttelu (fi)
• Hebrew: נפנופי־ידיים