Comment by Aurornis
20 hours ago
> actually say "the thing" instead of using a new random phrase
Apparently the phrase is very old, pre-dating the internet. It came out of the CIA.
In this context hangout is a clipped form of "letting it all hang out"
So it's saying you're putting on the appearance of letting it all hang out, but the information revealed is limited.
I think in this case, the existence of pedigree isn't a strong enough argument to keep around an uncommon, and uncommonly unintuitive, phrase.
"Gaslight confession" or "gaslight apology" are much clearer. By directly addressing the intent to deceive, they are both accurate, and can help discourage the practice.
("Gaslight" is also unintuitive upon first encounter, but has a widely established meaning at this point.)