garden-path

American  

[gahr-dn-path, -pahth] / ˈgɑr dnˌpæθ, -ˌpɑθ /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a sentence that is easily parsed incorrectly because its beginning suggests it has an interpretation that it clearly does not have.

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Example Sentences

Among the hardest are what psycholinguists call garden-path sentences, like “The cotton clothes are made up of grows in Mississippi.”

From New York Times

At last he reached the little wicket gate leading from the highway to his cottage; but on his opening p. 106it, he was awe-struck on seeing coming from his house along the garden-path, a gentleman clad in deep mourning. 

From Project Gutenberg

There was a little garden in front of the house separated from the lake-shores by an unkempt hedge, and planted only with a few fuchsia bushes; the walls of the house were here and there discoloured, and once or twice as I passed up the garden-path I stepped upon a broken tile.

From Project Gutenberg

He heard footsteps on the garden-path.

From Project Gutenberg

But Mrs. Dilworth, with shaking hands, pulled everything out of her bag, shook her skirts, fumbled in the bosom of her dress, ran out and searched the garden-path, strained her eyes across the snow on the river—all in vain.

From Project Gutenberg