# Is accusing someone of "making stuff" up no longer considered an accusation of lying?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-accusing-someone-of-making-stuff-up-no-longer-considered-an-accusation-of-lying/725748>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 21, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-accusing-someone-of-making-stuff-up-no-longer-considered-an-accusation-of-lying/725748 "2015-07-21T02:25:30Z")\
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**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-accusing-someone-of-making-stuff-up-no-longer-considered-an-accusation-of-lying/725748/31 "2015-07-22T22:30:44Z")

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> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#):
>
> Respectfully, I’m not sure how you can see the phrase “why do you think you can just make stuff up” as anything other than an accusation of lying.
> 
> After all when someone decides to ask me if I believe I can make stuff up after a post it’s obvious to everyone that he thinks I just “made up” the post.
> 
> What other explanation is there?

It just so happens this came up in an earlier ATMB thread. Here is the poster’s explanation:

> [@You don't know what you're talking about = direct insult?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-know-what-youre-talking-about-direct-insult/724194/98):
>
> No, he wasn’t “mistaken”, nor was he lying, nor did I accuse him of such.
> 
> It may be instructive to look at the actual exchange from the link below.
> 
> The poster made the statement “And Kantian ethics permits retroactive abortion up to age 13”.
> 
> I said “I want to see a credible cite for that.”
> 
> Poster acknowledges that he doesn’t have a cite, but alleges that it follows from Kantian ethics. I argue that it doesn’t. Clearly this is the poster’s own interpretation, hence my observation that he “just made it up”. [Which he freely acknowledges](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18299086&postcount=133) in so many words: “I made it up but I think it follows from what Kant said.”
> 
> The upshot here is that we’ve established that his view is his own interpretation and not something that can be cited from authority. Yes, “you made it up” is a blunt and direct way of saying that, but in this context that **is** what it says, and nothing more. In a completely different context such a phrase _ **could** _ be used to imply that someone is lying, sure. But not here. That’s why, as always, context is important.
> 
> This specific incident was no big deal and I only bring it up now as an example supporting my earlier concerns about blanket prohibitions on specific phrases because of what they _ **might** _ mean. I’m trying to promote reasonable use of language here, not trying to a jerk advocating the use of gratuitous insults.
> 
> Like “you’re right”, “you’re wrong”, “you have a point”, “you misunderstand me”? That doesn’t seem like a very practical rule, or one conducive to natural conversation.

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