i had no idea

Excerpt from a food writer’s article:

Pardon a cranky aside, but please notice that I said it “brings up” the question. I did not say it “begs” the question. Too many writers and speakers these days are using “begs the question” as if it meant “invites the question.” It doesn’t. To “beg the question” means to make an argument that assumes the truth of the very thing that one is claiming to prove. In this sense, the word “question” refers to an issue, not an interrogation. “Begging the question” is a unique and useful expression. I hate to see it die of chronic abuse.

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