Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Recently our government has Marines hoist US flag at locale erstwhile adversarial, but only following volunteered cessation of enmity by our side.   Then we turn round and claim that raising that flag is the fulfillment of some 50 year old vow!  -all straight facedly.  (No disrespect to leaders nor Marines  here, but there should be no doubt that whatever vow that was,  it had mainly to do with our being victorious over the enemy- however tacit that was.)

That makes me remember my funny boss who always used to make a victorious show out of being chronically late to meetings.  If he's way late for the 9 AM meeting, first thing coming into the room he would point to the clock,  and announce triumphantly whatever time it's showing, like,  "Nine seventeen and a half  - sharp !  "

Or similarly, but more egregiously,   some believers of Evolution  would argue for it with claim that any life forms  or rocks that just happen to be extant, and  whatever shapes and configurations they end up taking, are incontrovertible evidences and apt demonstrations of the law of natural selection !

The common thread is how you can always manage to spin victories out of  whatever,  defining your goals and even inventing predictions to fit  events as you go.   But that's often enough that I thought there is a word for it, no?  If not, one ought to be invented, something ironic and more meaningful than, say, contingentism ,  as-you-pleasism, whateverism .