dexify

English

Etymology

Blend of defend +‎ explain +‎ justify.

Verb

dexify (third-person singular simple present dexifies, present participle dexifying, simple past and past participle dexified)

1. Defend, explain, and/or justify.
   • 1986, David Brandt, Don't Stop Now, You're Killing Me: The Sadomasochism Game in Everyday Life and How Not to Play It‎, Poseidon Press, →ISBN, →OL, page 88:

     This is a common masochistic sabotage that I describe with the acronym "dexify." When individuals defend, explain, or justify, they are unnecessarily supporting the reasons for their decision and giving others the opportunity to rebut their rationale.

   • 1991, Roberta Jean Bryant, Stop Improving Yourself and Start Living‎, New World Library, →ISBN, →OL, page 65:

     Powerful people don't dexify (defend, explain, or justify).

   • 1991 March, David Farlow, “Principles of Rapport - Focus Group Moderation”, in Quirk's Marketing Research Review‎, volume 5:

     The reason for this is that when you ask "why" questions people feel defensive and have a tendency to "dexify" (defend, explain, justify) what they said.

   • 1998 March 10, Robert Holman Coombs, Surviving Medical School, Thousand Oaks; London; New Delhi: Sage Publications, →ISBN, →OL, page 145:

     We may “dexify” — try to defend, explain and justify — so that the angry person will stop being angry with us.