Punching Bag Fallacy

A close relative of the Straw Man, but with a key difference: it distorts or oversimplifies an opponent's argument not just to make it easier to attack, but by leveraging supposed juridical, hegemonic, or moral authority to legitimize the distortion. You create a weak, fake version of the argument (the "punching bag") that aligns with established power structures, then beat it down while claiming you're upholding law, order, or mainstream morality. It's a Straw Man with a badge and a gavel.

Example: "Arguing for police reform, you say 'We need greater accountability.' The opponent commits the Punching Bag Fallacy: 'So you want to defund the police and let criminals run wild, creating chaos in our streets!' They've twisted 'accountability' into 'anarchy,' using the hegemonic fear of crime to justify attacking a position you never held."

by Abzugal January 30, 2026

Punching the Partridge

Another term for having a wank

"John's just upstairs punching the partridge at the moment, he'll be back soon"

"I'm just gonna head off and punch the partridge real quick"

by Herman Sherman Squitwank October 11, 2025

Bus puncher

Cheap, yet very strong, alcoholic beverage, liable to make you stagger about punching buses. IE White Cider, Special Brew, etc.

Look at that penny stamp in the middle of the road! He's been on the bus puncher I reckon.

by francisrossi June 6, 2010

Glitter Punched

Glitter Punched: when you fail so much at life you can't even hit an emo with your car

That douchebag in Twilight just got glitter punched. He couldn't even even hit Bella with his car. He fails at life!

by Durban-itchtionary April 14, 2011

Dance Punching

The feeling you get when a group of people move in on your dance space.

Those girls are pushing us out of our area, lets jump in the middle and start dance punching.

by Selphee June 4, 2011

bear punching

punching a large gay man in the ass at your friend's bachelor party

I lost a paw bear punching at Dave's bachelor party.

by alchosulz June 20, 2011

Double Punching

Confidently delivering the punchline of a joke, which you don't realise somebody else has already delivered in a more subtle manner.

Kim: I feel really fat
Jim: I can see why
Sim: Yeah. That's because you are really fat. ZING
Jim: Sim fails. Double punching!

by sarcasmis September 5, 2011