falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater
/ˌfɔːlsli ʃaʊtɪŋ ˈfaɪər ɪn ə ˌkraʊdɪd ˈθɪətə(r)/
/ˌfɔːlsli ʃaʊtɪŋ ˈfaɪər ɪn ə ˌkraʊdɪd ˈθiːətər/
- the example used in 1919 by the US Supreme Court judge Oliver Wendell Holmes to show that in certain circumstances free speech should be limited, although he greatly supported free speech. “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”