[See PLEADING vbl. sb.]
1. A pleading drawn with particular reference to the circumstances of a case, as opposed to general pleading.
1684. A. Vidian (title), The Exact Pleader: A Book of Entries Of Choice, Select and Special Pleadings in the Court of Kings-Bench.
1685. J. Hansard (title), A Book of Entries: Of Declarations And other Pleadings General and Special.
2. The putting forward of special pleadings; the art or science of drawing pleadings.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 305. The science of special pleading having been frequently perverted to the purposes of chicane and delay, the courts have of late in some instances … permitted the general issue to be pleaded.
1849. Forsyth, Hortensius (1879), 341. Of all the systems that ever were invented to cramp and confine the intellect, that of special pleading seems to have been the most admirably adapted to attain that end.
1864. Bowen, Logic, ix. 299. In Law, the only object of what is called special pleading is, to ascertain the precise point at issue.
attrib. 1846. Ld. Campbell, Chancellors, V. 81. Carteret … ridiculed with much pleasantry this piece of special-pleading sophistry.
1896. Westm. Gaz., 3 July, 2/2. It will enable him to make some capital special-pleading speeches.
b. fig. Ex-parte or one-sided argumentation; disingenuous pleading; sophistry.
1872. Murray, in Compl. Scotl., Introd. p. cxiv. His [Leyden’s] argument, which is probably one of the most successful pieces of special pleading in existence.
1878. Stubbs, Study Med. & Mod. Hist., ix. (1886), 217. We all know what an amount of special pleading was thought necessary to justify that [the Norman Conquest].
Hence Special-plead v. intr., to employ special pleading or sophistical argument.
1848. Dk. Argyll, Eccles. Hist. Scot., 232. They [sc. the clergy] … misrepresent, conceal, and special-plead.
