prevarication
 支吾,搪塞


 Pre·var·i·ca·tion n.
 1. 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.
 2. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.
 3. Law (a) Roman Law The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. (b) Common Law A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

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 prevarication
      n 1: a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth [syn: lie]
      2: intentionally vague or ambiguous [syn: equivocation, evasiveness]
      3: the deliberate act of deviating from the truth [syn: lying,
          fabrication]