An evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections.

synonyms: cavil, quiddity.

Roget 520: equivocalness etc. adj.; double meaning etc. 516; ambiguity, double entente, double entendre [Fr.], pun, paragram^†, calembour^†, quibble, equivoque [Fr.], anagram; conundrum etc. (riddle) 533; play on words, word play etc. (wit) 842; homonym, homonymy [Gramm.]; amphiboly^†, amphibology^†; ambilogy^†, ambiloquy^†.    Sphinx, Delphic oracle.    equivocation etc. (duplicity) 544; white lie, mental reservation etc. (concealment) 528; paltering.    ... show more

Roget 842: wit, humor, wittiness; sense of humor; attic wit, attic salt; atticism^†; salt, esprit, point, fancy, whim, drollery, pleasantry.    farce, buffoonery, fooling, tomfoolery; shenanigan [U.S.], harlequinade etc. 599^†; broad farce, broad humor; fun, espieglerie [Fr.]; vis comica [Lat.].    jocularity; jocosity, jocoseness^†; facetiousness; waggery, waggishness; whimsicality; comicality etc. 853.    banter, badinage, retort, repartee, smartness, ready wit, quid-pro-quo; ridicule etc. 856.    jest, joke, jape, jibe; facetiae [Lat.], levity, quips and cranks; capital joke; canorae nugae [Lat.]; standing jest, standing joke, private joke, conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity, concetto^†, plaisanterie [Fr.], brilliant idea; merry thought, bright thought, happy thought; sally; flash of wit, flash of merriment; scintillation; mot [Fr.], mot pour rire [Fr.]; witticism, smart saying, bon-mot, jeu d'esprit [Fr.], epigram; jest book; dry joke, quodlibet, cream of the jest.    word-play, jeu de mots [Fr.]; play of words, play upon words; pun, punning; double entente, double entendre [Fr.] etc. (ambiguity) 520; quibble, verbal quibble; conundrum etc. (riddle) 533; anagram, acrostic, double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade^†.    old joke, tired joke, flat joke, Joe Miller^†.    ... show more

Roget 497: absurdity, absurdness etc. adj.; imbecility etc. 499; alogy^†, nonsense, utter nonsense; paradox, inconsistency; stultiloquy^†, stultiloquence^†; nugacity^†.    blunder, muddle, bull; Irishism^†, Hibernicism^†; slipslop^†; anticlimax, bathos; sophism etc. 477.    farce, galimathias^†, amphigouri^†, rhapsody; farrago etc. (disorder) 59; betise [Fr.]; extravagance, romance; sciamachy^†.    sell, pun, verbal quibble, macaronic^†.    jargon, fustian, twaddle, gibberish etc. (no meaning) 517; exaggeration etc. 549; moonshine, stuff; mare's nest, quibble, self-delusion.    vagary, tomfoolery, poppycock, mummery, monkey trick, boutade [Fr.], escapade.    ... show more

Roget 477: intuition, instinct, association, hunch, gut feeling; presentiment, premonition; rule of thumb; superstition; astrology^†; faith (supposition) 514.    sophistry, paralogy^†, perversion, casuistry, jesuitry, equivocation, evasion; chicane, chicanery; quiddet^†, quiddity; mystification; special pleading; speciousness etc. adj.; nonsense etc. 497; word sense, tongue sense.    false reasoning, vicious reasoning, circular reasoning; petitio principii [Lat.], ignoratio elenchi [Lat.]; post hoc ergo propter hoc [Lat.]; non sequitur, ignotum per ignotius [Lat.].    misjudgment etc. 481; false teaching etc. 538.    sophism, solecism, paralogism^†; quibble, quirk, elenchus^†, elench^†, fallacy, quodlibet, subterfuge, subtlety, quillet^†; inconsistency, antilogy^†; a delusion, a mockery, and a snare" [Denman]; claptrap, cant, mere words; lame and impotent conclusion" [Othello]. meshes of sophistry, cobwebs of sophistry; flaw in an argument; weak point, bad case.    overrefinement^†; hairsplitting etc. v.. ... show more

Dutch: haarkloverij

Evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant objections.

Roget 477: judge intuitively, judge by intuition; hazard a proposition, hazard a guess, talk at random.    reason ill, falsely etc. adj.; misjudge etc. 481; paralogize^†.    take on faith, take as a given; assume (supposition) 514.    pervert, quibble; equivocate, mystify, evade, elude; gloss over, varnish; misteach etc. 538^†; mislead etc. (error) 495; cavil, refine, subtilize^†, split hairs; misrepresent etc. (lie) 544.    beg the question, reason in a circle, reason in circles, assume the conclusion.    cut blocks with a razor, beat about the bush, play fast and loose, play fast and loose with the facts, blow hot and cold, prove that black is white and white black, travel out of the record, parler a tort et a travers [Fr.], put oneself out of court, not have a leg to stand on.    judge hastily, shoot from the hip, jump to conclusions (misjudgment) 481.    ... show more

Roget 544: be false etc. adj., be a liar etc. 548; speak falsely etc. adv.; tell a lie etc. 546; lie, fib; lie like a trooper; swear false, forswear, perjure oneself, bear false witness.    misstate, misquote, miscite^†, misreport, misrepresent; belie, falsify, pervert, distort; put a false construction upon etc. (misinterpret); prevaricate, equivocate, quibble; palter, palter to the understanding; repondre en Normand [Fr.]; trim, shuffle, fence, mince the truth, beat about the bush, blow hot and cold, play fast and loose.    garble, gloss over, disguise, give a color to; give a gloss, put a gloss, put false coloring upon; color, varnish, cook, dress up, embroider; varnish right and puzzle wrong; exaggerate etc. 549; blague^†.    invent, fabricate; trump up, get up; force, fake, hatch, concoct; romance etc. (imagine) 515; cry 'wolf!'.    dissemble, dissimulate; feign, assume, put on, pretend, make believe; play possum; play false, play a double game; coquet; act a part, play a part; affect etc. 855; simulate, pass off for; counterfeit, sham, make a show of; malinger; say the grapes are sour.    cant, play the hypocrite, sham Abraham, faire pattes de velours, put on the mask, clean the outside of the platter, lie like a conjuror; hand out false colors, hold out false colors, sail under false colors; commend the poisoned chalice to the lips" [Macbeth]; ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces [Lat.]; deceive etc. 545.    ... show more

Roget 517: mean nothing; be unmeaning etc. adj.; twaddle, quibble, scrabble.   

Roget 469: qualify, limit, modify, leaven, give a color to, introduce new conditions, narrow, temper.    waffle, quibble, hem and haw (be uncertain) 475; equivocate (sophistry) 477.    depend, depend on, be contingent on (effect) 154.    allow for, make allowance for; admit exceptions, take into account; modulate.    moderate, temper, season, leaven.    take exception.    ... show more

Roget 465: discriminate, distinguish, severalize^†; recognize, match, identify; separate; draw the line, sift; separate the chaff from the wheat, winnow the chaff from the wheat; separate the men from the boys; split hairs, draw a fine line, nitpick, quibble.    estimate etc. (measure) 466; know which is which, know what is what, know 'a hawk from a handsaw'" [Hamlet]. take into account, take into consideration; give due weight to, allow due weight to; weigh carefully.    ... show more

Argue over petty things:
— Let's not quibble over pennies.

synonyms: bicker, brabble, niggle, pettifog, squabble.

Dutch: harrewarren, rusiemaken, kibelen, twisten