Courtier's Reply
Dismissing a criticism by claiming that the critic lacks sufficient knowledge, credentials, or training to credibly comment on the subject matter.
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Origin
Named on Christmas Eve 2006, when biologist PZ Myers published a post on his blog Pharyngula responding to critics of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion. Myers observed that dismissing Dawkins for lacking theology degrees was like demanding that a child who noticed the emperor had no clothes first complete a doctorate in haute couture — invoking Hans Christian Andersen's fable to name the ancient tactic of using expertise demands to deflect valid but unwelcome criticism.
Updated February 22, 2026