Meaning & use
card stacking
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabledisapproving
A persuasion trick that shows only facts supporting one side while hiding the facts that weaken it.
Grammar: Uncountable: the ad relies on card stacking.
Patterns
- card stacking in something
The advert used card stacking by listing only the best results.
Spotting card stacking helps you read the news critically.
The politician's speech was full of card stacking.
noununcountable
Arranging playing cards in a hidden order to cheat in a game.
Grammar: Literal sense; rarer than the persuasion sense.
The dealer was caught card stacking before the game.
Card stacking is a form of cheating at poker.
Casinos watch for card stacking at the tables.
Common combinations
- use card stacking
- Advertisers sometimes use card stacking.
- accused of card stacking
- The report was accused of card stacking.
- propaganda technique of card stacking
- Card stacking is a propaganda technique.
- detect card stacking
- Students learn to detect card stacking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cherry-picking
- Cherry-picking is the everyday way to say choosing only the favorable facts.
- one-sided argument
- A one-sided argument is a broader description, not specifically a trick of hiding facts.
- spin
- Spin is presenting facts favorably, but it does not require hiding the other side.
- slanting
- Slanting means presenting a story with a bias, while card stacking depends on omission.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: card stacking or bandwagon?
card stacking vs bandwagon
Bandwagon is a different technique that urges you to join the crowd, not to hide facts.
Practice
An ad that lists only its product's strengths and hides all its flaws is using ______.
Choose one answer.
Showing only favorable facts is card stacking. Bandwagon appeal urges people to follow the crowd.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “card stacking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.