we don’t really have a term for this

“Obama to Cantor: ‘Don’t call my bluff’ on debt talks”

That’s the headline everywhere right now.

Technically it’s a misstatement, since Obama doesn’t mean that he’s really just bluffing. He means the exact opposite.

But we don’t really have a term for the opposite, I don’t think. And since everyone immediately understands exactly what he means, the statement works, and it would be a bit pedantic to call him on it.

A similar phenomenon would be use of the colloquial phrase “I could care less,” when the opposite is really meant. This one’s a bit different, though, since the opposite phrase does exist and is used correctly by perhaps half the population.

I suppose the more correct phrase for Obama would have been something like: “And don’t think I’m bluffing!” But that’s not as powerful as “Don’t call my bluff,” even though it’s technically incorrect. (And all of this assumes that Eric Cantor is quoting Obama accurately in the first place. The mistake may well be Cantor’s.)