subterfuge

What it means

1. countableAn indirect or deceptive device or stratagem; a blind. Refers especially to war and diplomatics.

   Overt subterfuge in a region nearly caused a minor accident.

   2 more examples

   How’s the spy hunt going? Uncovered any subterfuge?

   2010, Clare Vanderpool, Moon Over Manifest, →ISBN, →OCLC

   But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea.

   2012 March 28, William E. Carter with Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, Sigma Xi, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 Feb 2012, page 87

2. uncountableDeception; misrepresentation of the true nature of an activity.

   But in the mean time […] it looks all ſo like ſubterfuge and inveagling; it is ſo nauſeating and teadious a task, that no man thinks he ovvs the Author ſo much ſervice as to find out the reaſon of his ovvn Categoricalneſs for him.

   1672, [Andrew Marvell], The Rehearsal Transpros’d: Or, Animadversions upon a Late Book, Entituled, A Preface, Shewing what Grounds there are of Fears and Jealousies of Popery, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, pages 57–58

   1 more example

   I have been critical of the RDG in the past for merely being a cypher for government announcements, but the failure of its members to make a stand on this issue and not be complicit in the Government's subterfuge is a shocking indictment of their failure to protect the industry.

   2023 July 26, Christian Wolmar, “Closing ticket offices to lead to 'catch-22' for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 42

In a sentence

Overt subterfuge in a region nearly caused a minor accident.

Where it comes from

1. Latinsubterfugiō“to flee secretly”
2. Medieval Latinsubterfugium n
3. Middle Frenchsubterfuge m
4. Englishsubterfuge

Borrowed from Middle French subterfuge m, from Medieval Latin subterfugium n, from Latin subterfugiō (“to flee secretly”), from subter (“under”) and fugiō (“to flee”).