mugging
n.— «They’re luring (people) in under the guise of a survey.…“Our industry calls that sugging—soliciting under the guise of interviewing. Or mugging—marketing under the guise of interviewing.» —“Study: Not all phone surveys are legitimate” by Kelly Shiers Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Nov. 21, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...