[curr ev] A vocabulary lesson
Dear Police Chief Larry Boyd,
A "hoax" is when someone else deceives you, not when you deceive yourself, or when you leap to baseless conclusions out of ignorance. The term you are looking for is "mistaken", but it modifies a different noun than the one you clearly so desperately want to characterize.
Deliberately calling something a hoax when you know it is not is to falsely allege a blameless person has committed an infamous act. The term for that is "slander", when spoken, and "libel", when written.
Sincerely,
Siderea
A "hoax" is when someone else deceives you, not when you deceive yourself, or when you leap to baseless conclusions out of ignorance. The term you are looking for is "mistaken", but it modifies a different noun than the one you clearly so desperately want to characterize.
Deliberately calling something a hoax when you know it is not is to falsely allege a blameless person has committed an infamous act. The term for that is "slander", when spoken, and "libel", when written.
Sincerely,
Siderea