about the bush adjourn appall bear off beat around beg the question blind blunt cast off chill cloak color continue cool cover cover story cover-up dally damp dampen defer deflect delay deter device dillydally disaffect discourage disgust disincline disinterest distract divert dodge doff douse drag out drop duck embark equivocate excuse extend facade feint fence front get under way give offense gloss go off soundings go to sea gross out guise handle hang fire hang up haul off have way upon hedge hem and haw hold off hold over hold up horrify indispose lag lame excuse lay aside lay by lay over linger locus standi loiter mask nauseate offend ostensible motive parry pigeonhole poke poor excuse postpone pretense pretension pretext procrastinate prolong prorogate prorogue protestation protract public motive pull away pull back push aside push off pussyfoot put aside put on ice put to sea quench recess recoil refuge remove repel reserve revolt run from sail sail away sail away from screen semblance set aside set by sham sheer off shelve shift shift off shock shove off show shrink shy shy away shy off sicken sidestep sleep on slip out of smoke screen stalking-horse stand from stand off stand over stave off stay steer away from step aside step out of stratagem stretch out subterfuge suspend swerve table take a recess take off tarry temporize throw off trail trick turn aside turn away turn from turn off turn the stomach undo unwrap varnish veil waive ward off wean from