Flaw of the Week · November 16, 2026
Equivocation: The "Free" Lunch
The flawed argument
A restaurant advertised a "free" dessert with every meal, then added a $6 "dessert service charge" to the bill. When challenged, the owner said the dessert itself was free; the charge was for serving it.
Why it fails
The argument quietly changes the meaning of "free" midstream. Customers heard "no extra cost," while the owner meant "no charge for the item itself, plus a charge for everything around it." A word cannot mean two things in one argument.
The answer
The flaw is equivocation: using a key word ("free") in two different senses.
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Last updated October 12, 2026