Praeteritio
A rhetorical figure in which a speaker names something while claiming not to mention it — the 'not to mention' move.
Praeteritio — also called apophasis or paralipsis — is the figure in which a speaker draws attention to something by ostentatiously refusing to discuss it. 'I will not stoop to mention my opponent's tax problems' is the classic parliamentary form. The speaker has, in the very act of refusing, mentioned the tax problems.
The figure is old and slightly disreputable. Cicero used it constantly in the law courts to introduce damaging material he could then pretend to be too high-minded to bring up. It thrives in political debate, editorial writing, and the well-designed passive-aggressive email. Its charm is that it appears to give the listener the pleasure of overhearing something forbidden.
Praeteritio is a legitimate rhetorical tool when the thing you are declining to say is genuinely too much to say; it is a cheap trick when used to smuggle in an accusation while pretending to be above one. Careful readers spot the second kind quickly.
“I will not remind the reader of my opponent's well-documented failures — nor of the three occasions on which he was publicly rebuked.”
Keep reading the glossary
A gap between what is said and what is meant — or between expectation and outcome.
A question asked for effect rather than to elicit an answer.
The art of persuasive speaking and writing — the discipline behind every great quoted line.
Aristotle's three modes of persuasion — character, emotion, and reason.