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red herring
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | misleading clue |
| Synonyms: | attention-grabber, bait, commotion, curve ball, deviation, distraction, distractor, disturbance, diversion, diversionary tactic, false clue, false face, false trail, fool's errand, gimmick, interruption, maneuver, ploy, smoke screen, wild-goose chase |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
| Main Entry: | concealment |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hiding, secrecy |
| Synonyms: | beard, blind, camouflage, cover, cover-up, covering, curtain, disguise, dissimulation, fig leaf, front, hide-out, hideaway, laundromat, mask, obliteration, obscuration, occultation, privacy, red herring, secretion, smoke screen, veil, wraps |
| Antonyms: | disclosure, divulgence, exposition, revelation, showing, telling |
| Main Entry: | disguise |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | covering, makeup for deception |
| Synonyms: | beard, blind, camouflage, charade, cloak, color, coloring, concealment, costume, counterfeit, cover-up, dissimulation, dress, facade, face, faking, false front, fig leaf, front*, get-up, guise, illusion, make-believe, mask, masquerade, pageant, pen name, pretense, pretension, pretentiousness, pseudonym, put-on, red herring, screen, semblance, smoke screen, trickery, veil, veneer |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | diversion |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | change in a course, path |
| Synonyms: | aberration, alteration, deflection, departure, detour, deviation, digression, divergence, fake out, red herring, turning, variation |
| Antonyms: | conforming, staying |
| Main Entry: | pretext |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | disguise; alleged reason |
| Synonyms: | affectation, alibi, appearance, bluff, cleanup, cloak, color*, coloring, cop-out, cover, cover story, cover-up, device, excuse, face, feint, fig leaf, front, guise, mask, masquerade, plea, ploy, pretense, red herring, routine, ruse, semblance, show, simulation, song and dance, stall, stratagem, subterfuge, veil* |
| Antonyms: | reality, truth |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | smoke screen |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | action to confuse or conceal |
| Synonyms: | cover, false colors, false front, masquerade, red herring, screen |
| Main Entry: | wild-goose chase |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hopeless case |
| Synonyms: | bootless errand, fool's errand, lost cause, merry chase, red herring, snipe hunt, vain attempt, waste of time, wasted effort, wasted labor |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
| Concept: | Concealment. |
| Synonyms: |
-nouns
concealment; hiding; occultation, mystification., seal of secrecy; screen; disguise; masquerade; masked battery; hiding place; cryptography, steganography; freemasonry., stealth, stealthiness; obreption; slyness (cunning)., latitancy, latitation; seclusion; privacy, secrecy, secretness; incognita., reticence; reserve; mental reserve, reservation; arriere pensee, suppression, evasion, white lie, misprision; silence (taciturnity); suppression of truth; underhand dealing; closeness, secretiveness; mystery., latency; snake in the grass; secret; stowaway.
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| Antonyms: | disclosure |
| Browse Concept Index » | |
| Concept: | [Ostensible motive, ground, or reason assigned] Pretext. |
| Category: | 2. Causes of volition |
| Synonyms: |
-nouns
pretext, pretense, pretension, plea; allegation, advocation; ostensible motive, subterfuge, obtensible ground, obtensible reason, phony reason; excuse (vindication); color; gloss, guise, cover., loophole, starting hole; how to creep out of, salvo, come off; way of escape., handle, peg to hang on, room, locus standi; stalking-horse, cheval de bataille, cue., pretense (untruth); put off, dust thrown in the eyes; blind; moonshine; mere pretext, shallow pretext; lame excuse, lame apology; tub to a whale; false plea, sour grapes; makeshift, shift, white lie; special pleading (sophistry); soft sawder (flattery).
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