Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Peter Mark Roget

pretext, pretense, pretension, plea†; allegation, advocation; ostensible motive, ostensible ground, ostensible reason, phony reason; excuse &c (vindication) 937; subterfuge; color; gloss, guise, cover. loop hole, starting hole; how to creep out of, salvo, come off; way of escape. handle, peg to hang on, room locus standi [Lat.]; stalking-horse, cheval de bataille [Fr.], cue. pretense &c (untruth) 546; 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 &c (sophistry) 477; soft sawder &c (flattery) 933 [Obs.]. V. pretend, plead, allege; shelter oneself under the plea of; excuse &c (vindicate) 937; lend a color to; furnish a handle &c n.; make a pretext of, make a handle of; use as a plea &c n.; take one's stand upon, make capital out of, pretend &c (lie) 544. Adj. ostensibly &c (manifest) 525; alleged, apologetic; pretended &c 545. Adv. ostensibly; under color; under the plea, under the pretense of, under the guise of.