beg the question. Strictly speaking, a statement that begs the question is one that is logically flawed because it is based on an unproven assumption, often taking for granted the very thing that it itself is seeking to establish. If someone argues: The Loch Ness monster must exist because there have been so many sightings of it, that statement begs the question because it assumes that the sightings were of the monster and not something else – which is the whole point at issue. This is the original meaning of the phrase and the only one allowed by traditionalists. It is, however, probably more frequently used nowadays to mean that a statement raises obvious questions which need to be answered: Their claim that the scheme will benefit millions begs the question of precisely what benefit those millions will receive