Kafkatrap

noun
/ˈkæfkəˌtræp/UK/ˈkɑfkəˌtræp/US

Etymology

From Kafka + trap, coined by American programmer & open source advocate Eric S. Raymond in 2010 (see the quotation below) in reference to the novel Der Proceß (The Trial, 1925) by the Bohemian author Franz Kafka (1883–1924), in which a man is accused of crimes that are never specified, and every defense is treated as proof of guilt.

  1. derived from *drebʰ- — “to step, trip, trample
  2. derived from *trapjaną — “to tread, stamp
  3. derived from *trappjan — “to step
  4. inherited from *trappjā — “trap, snare
  5. inherited from træppe
  6. inherited from trappe
  7. compounded as kafkatrap — “Kafka + trap

Definitions

  1. A sophistical rhetorical device in which any denial by an accused person serves as…

    A sophistical rhetorical device in which any denial by an accused person serves as evidence of guilt.

    • Jill said Jack was paranoid, and when he told her he was not she just nodded knowingly. It was a perfect Kafkatrap.
  2. To employ a Kafkatrap against (someone).

    • Progressive bullies seem to delight in kafkatrapping, as it's their preferred strategy of attack in Social Media Land. So you should be prepared for it.
  3. Alternative letter-case form of Kafkatrap.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for Kafkatrap. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA