Moving the goalposts

The English Wiktionary has a dictionary definition (meanings of a word) for: Move the goal posts

Moving the goalposts or shifting the goalposts is an idiom which means changing the terms of a debate or a conflict after it has started.^[1]

The phrase describes changing the target or goal of a process. In a dispute or a competition, the idiom explains what one side does in order to gain advantage.^[2]

This phrase comes from sports that use goalposts, such as football.^[2]

In 1978, the Washington Post published the phrase, quoting the CEO of American Airlines who said, "'They keep moving the goal posts."^[1] In Britain, the earliest known published use was in 1987.^[2]

The idiom identifies a kind of logical fallacy. In an argument, when evidence is presented in response to a specific claim, it is "moving the goalposts" when some other evidence is demanded instead.^[3]

In other words, after an attempt has been made to score a goal, the goalposts are moved to exclude the attempt.^[3] The problem with changing the rules of the game is that the meaning of the result is changed too. It counts for less.^[4]

The tactics of bullying behaviour include moving the goalposts. This means setting objectives which subtly change in ways that cannot be reached.^[5] In workplace bullying, shifting the goalposts is a conventional tactic.^[6]