Crossword clues for prevarication
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Prevarication \Pre*var`i*ca"tion\, n. [L. praevaricatio: cf. F. pr['e]varication.]
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The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing.
The august tribunal of the skies, where no prevarication shall avail.
--Cowper. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.
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(Law)
(Roman Law) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution.
(Common Law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it.
--Cowell.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
late 14c., "divergence from a right course, transgression," from Old French prevaricacion "breaking of God's laws, disobedience (to the Faith)" (12c., Modern French prévarication) and directly from Latin praevaricationem (nominative praevaricatio) "duplicity, collusion, a stepping out of line (of duty or behavior)," noun of action from past participle stem of praevaricari "to make a sham accusation, deviate," literally "walk crookedly," in Church Latin, "to transgress," from prae "before" (see pre-) + varicare "to straddle," from varicus "straddling," from varus "bowlegged, knock-kneed" (see varus). Meaning "evasion, quibbling" is attested from 1650s.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context now rare English) deviation from what is right or correct; transgression, perversion. 2 Evasion of the truth; deceit, evasiveness. 3 A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office. 4 (context legal historical Ancient Rome English) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. 5 (context legal English) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it.
WordNet
n. a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth [syn: lie]
intentionally vague or ambiguous [syn: equivocation, evasiveness]
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth [syn: lying, fabrication]
Wikipedia
Prevarication is avoidance of the truth. Prevarication can include, or be part of:
- Deception
- Evasion (ethics)
- Waffle (speech)
Usage examples of "prevarication".
Though a prevarication intended to avoid telling Edith the truth, he had labored at the Rockefeller site almost twelve hours today.
Sedgwick had no talent for prevarication, when it came to kissing, his skills scorched.
Jeremiah heard the prevarication, but his anger seemed a little abated.
I had no possible right to use any of those disguises or prevarications which are always foolish and perilous, and very frequently wrong.
Today, though, her talents truly flowered as she plucked the schemes of builders as well as the prevarications of moderates, even half a world away.
He found the invidious accusations of his fellow Bashkir almost as risible as their prevarications.
In this way only do the Moors shine as politicians, unless prevarication and procrastination be included, Machiavellian arts in which they easily excel.
Westbrook wept babyishly, charging them with prevarication and boobishness.
Honesty was one of the things he loved about heL No demurrings or prevarications.
Munk scans Buddy for signs of prevarication, increased bloodrush, sweat scent, blink rate, and voice-pattern stress and detects none.
He had located the Sheik, but when he got there, after a lot of prevarication, he discovered that Macaulay had indeed blotted his copy book by savaging the Sheik himself, and had been sold on less than six weeks before to a dealer who kept no records and couldn’.
Here's what you expect: the dead ends, bureaucratic bullheadedness, the cul-de-sacs, trails that go nowhere or simply fade into thin air, denials, prevarications, the blank-eyed stares from all the hostile witnesses.
I have no moral objection to prevarication when it serves a good end, butas I had learned from painful experience it is cursed difficult to avoid slips of the tongue.