Hand-waving
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Hand-waving is a noun meaning present participle and gerund of hand-wave.
Meaning
present participle and gerund of hand-wave.
More Meanings
- Alternative spelling of handwaving.
Example Sentences
So when we're discussing thought and conscious processes, talking about minds is precise, and even measurable (what else do public opinion pollsters do?) while talking about brains is just hand-waving.
For years much of this has been explained with hand-waving references to body types and metabolism—broadly accurate, but cold comfort to the estimated 61% of Americans who are overweight or obese and want to have their weight controlled, not merely explained.
You, me and everything in the universe are holograms. This may seem very vague and hand-waving. However, in 1998, the Argentinean-American physicist Juan Maldacena published a paper that shored up the idea that we live in a ‘holographic universe’ and set the world of physics alight.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include handwringing, flagwaving, gladhanding, hoverhand, head scratching, short-hand.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.