Moving the goalposts is a metaphor

Metaphor

A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...

 meaning changing the target of a process or competition by one side in order to gain advantage.

Etymology

This phrase is a straightforward derivation from sports that use goalposts, such as football. The figurative use alludes to the perceived unfairness in changing the goal

Goal

A goal is an objective, or a projected computation of affairs, that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.Goal, GOAL or G.O.A.L may also refer to:Sport...

 one is trying to achieve after the process one is engaged in has already started. The phrase came into wide use in the UK during the 1980s. The first known attested use is in 1987.

As abuse

Shifting the goalposts is a commonly recognized technique for destabilization in workplace bullying

Workplace bullying

Workplace bullying, like childhood bullying, is the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent aggressive or unreasonable behaviour against a co-worker or subordinate. Workplace bullying can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation...

, often without even telling the victim.

As logical fallacy

Moving the goalposts, also known as raising the bar, is an informal logically fallacious argument in which evidence presented in response to a specific claim is dismissed and some other (often greater) evidence is demanded. In other words, after an attempt has been made to score a goal, the goalposts are moved to exclude the attempt. This attempts to leave the impression that an argument had a fair hearing while actually reaching a preordained conclusion.

Feature creep

Moving the goalposts may also refer to feature creep, in which the completion of a product like software is not acknowledged because an evolving list of required features changes over time. Thus, the goal of "completing" the product for a client may never occur.

Other uses

The term is often used in business to imply bad faith

Bad faith

Bad faith is double mindedness or double heartedness in duplicity, fraud, or deception. It may involve intentional deceit of others, or self deception....

 on the part of those setting goals for others to meet, by arbitrarily making additional demands just as the initial ones are about to be met.

Accusations of this form of abuse tend to occur when there are unstated assumptions that are obvious to one party but not to another. E.g., "The killing all the flea

Cat flea

The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is one of the most abundant and widespread species of flea on Earth.-Overview:The cat flea's primary host is the domestic cat, but this is also the primary flea infesting dogs in most of the world. The cat flea can also maintain its life cycle on other...

s on a cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...

 is very easy" (with the unstated condition that "The cat still remains alive and in good health").

See also