(n.) The use of expressions susceptible of a double signification, with a purpose to mislead.

ambiguity ambivalence amphibology antinomy apparent soundness avoidance avoiding reaction bickering boggling captiousness casuistry caviling chicane chicanery circularity circumvention coloring confabulation counterword defense mechanism disingenuousness distortion dodge dodging double double entendre duck elusion elusiveness equivocal equivocality equivocalness equivoque escape evasion evasive action evasive reasoning evasiveness exaggeration fallaciousness fallacy false coloring false swearing falsification falsifying fencing fluctuation forbearance forestalling forestallment getting around hairsplitting hedging insincerity irony jesuitism jesuitry jink logic-chopping lying misapplication miscoloring misconstruction misrepresentation misstatement mystification neutrality nit-picking nonintervention noninvolvement obfuscation obscurantism oscillation oversubtlety oxymoron paltering paradox parrying pendulation perjury perversion pettifoggery philosophism plausibility plausibleness polysemant portmanteau word prevarication prevention pun pussyfooting quibbling rationalization refraining self-contradiction shifting shilly-shally shilly-shallying shuffle shuffling shunning shunting off shy sidestep sidestepping sidetracking slip sophism sophistical reasoning sophistication sophistry special pleading speciosity specious reasoning speciousness squinting construction straining subterfuge subtlety suppressio veri tergiversation the runaround trichoschistism vacillation vicious circle vicious reasoning wavering weasel word weasel words wobbling zigzag