menistenleugen
Dutch edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Compound of menist (“Mennonite”) + -en- + leugen (“lie”). In reference to untruthful statements by Mennonites to escape from the Spanish-initiated inquisition during the sixteenth century; Mennonites were the primary victims of the inquisition in the Habsburg-ruled Low Countries.
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /məˈnɪs.tə(n)ˌløː.ɣə(n)/, /meːˈnɪs.tə(n)ˌløː.ɣə(n)/, /mɛˈnɪs.tə(n)ˌløː.ɣə(n)/
- Hyphenation: me‧nis‧ten‧leu‧gen
Noun edit
menistenleugen f (plural menistenleugens, diminutive menistenleugentje n)
- A tactical half-truth or ambiguous statement to deceive one's audience and save one's skin. [from 19th c.]