On Dec 31, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Andrew Sullivan <ajs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > I think I disagree. I think it's idiom. "MPLS" is maybe jargon. > "Bit-bucket" is certainly jargon. "More heat than light" is not. I mean as in "from the jargon file" not "technical jargon." It is a turn of phrase that is common to people who grew up on usenet. I don't think saying "this argument contains more heat than light" is faster than saying "I haven't yet seen the technical point you are making—could you please try to state it clearly?" The advantage of the second phrase is that it says what you want to have happen next; the first phrase simply says that what was said previously was bad, in a way that gives the person you are criticizing no real guidance as to what to do differently, other than "tone it down." I guess that isn't a bad thing, but isn't really the point.