motte and bailey

English

Etymology

From French motte; compare motte.

Noun

motte and bailey (plural mottes and baileys)

1. The predecessor of the castle, having a raised earth mound (the motte) topped with a tower (or donjon), and a wooden ring fortification surrounding a courtyard (the bailey).
   • 1939, H. Lawlor, Mote, Moat, or Motte?, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 2, 208-210, p. 210:

     Should an inquiring stranger ask an Irish countryman if there were any "mottes" in the neighbourhood he might be met with unexpected but none the less unrestrained laughter, as in semi-slang the word has another meaning very far from that of a castle mound!

2. A form of argument and an informal fallacy where an arguer conflates two similar positions, one modest and easier to defend (the "motte") and one much more controversial (the "bailey"), by advancing the controversial position, but when challenged, insisting that they are only advancing the more modest position.