prevaricate
    v 1: be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or
         withhold information [syn: beat around the bush,
         equivocate, tergiversate, prevaricate, palter]

Prevaricate \Pre*var"i*cate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p.
   Prevaricated; p. pr. & vb. n. Prevaricating.] [L.
   praevaricatus, p. p. of praevaricari to walk crookedly, to
   collude; prae before + varicare to straddle, fr. varicus
   straddling, varus bent. See Varicose.]
   1. To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the
      direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation;
      to shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his
      statement.
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            He prevaricates with his own understanding. --South.
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   2. (Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with
      the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
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   3. (Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully,
      with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.
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   Syn: To evade; equivocate; quibble; shuffle.

   Usage: Prevaricate, Evade, Equivocate. One who evades a
          question ostensibly answers it, but really turns aside
          to some other point. He who equivocate uses words
          which have a double meaning, so that in one sense he
          can claim to have said the truth, though he does in
          fact deceive, and intends to do it. He who
          prevaricates talks all round the question, hoping to
          "dodge" it, and disclose nothing.
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Prevaricate \Pre*var"i*cate\, v. t.
   To evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert. [Obs.]
   --Jer. Taylor.
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