Term of art

From RationalWiki

A term of art is a piece of technical jargon in a given field that has a meaning specific to that field, often one that may not be obvious to outsiders. When attempting to make a meaningful contribution to a field, it is generally very important to understand that field's terms of art, lest one be branded a fool within the field for basing one's entire position on a misunderstanding. Cranks, quacks, and denialists often intentionally misuse terms of art to confuse their marks, who often don't understand the specific technical definition of what may be an otherwise familiar term.

[edit] In popular (or not) culture

In David Mamet's edgy film, Oleanna, the jackass professor character is overheard saying on the telephone to actual sane people, "is that a term of art?".