pretext
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French prétexte, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin praetextum (“an ornament, etc., wrought in front, a pretense”), neuter of praetextus, past participle of praetexere (“to weave before, fringe or border, allege”).
Pronunciation
Noun
pretext (plural pretexts)
- A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.
- The reporter called the company on the pretext of trying to resolve a consumer complaint.
- 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club[1]:
- When that metaphor proves untenable, he switches to insisting that women are like beer but that’s mainly as a pretext to drink until he passes out in a father-son bonding haze.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:pretext
Translations
false, contrived or assumed purpose
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Verb
pretext (third-person singular simple present pretexts, present participle pretexting, simple past and past participle pretexted)
- To employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.
- The spy obtained his phone records using possibly-illegal pretexting methods.
- 1903, Henry James, The Ambassadors:
- ... the something in the air of these establishments; the vibration of the vast, strange life of the town; the influence of the types, the performers, concocting their messages; the little prompt Paris women arranging, pretexting goodness knew what, driving the dreadful needle-pointed public pen at the dreadful sand-strewn public table....
Synonyms
- blag (UK)
Translations
employ a pretext
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See also
- Social engineering on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Further reading
- “pretext”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “pretext”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.