Making Excuses:

WORD CHOICE: reason, explanation, excuse, pretext
If you call someone's explanation for what they have done a reason , you either believe it, or you are just repeating what they have said: His reason for being late was that his alarm clock was broken (=either you know his alarm clock was broken, which made him late, or that was simply the reason he gave you). If you call someone's reasons an explanation , you are just repeating what they said: His explanation for being late was that his alarm clock was broken (= that was the reason he gave - it may or may not be true). An explanation often sounds more like a personal opinion, a reason more like a fact. If you call someone's explanation an excuse , it suggests that you may not believe it is true or, if it is true, you do not believe that it really explains what happened: His excuse for being late was that his alarm clock was broken (=maybe his alarm clock was broken, or maybe it was not, OR you think it was broken, but that is not really a good enough reason for being late). If you say My excuse is.... you are giving a reason that you know is not really good enough to explain what you did. If you call someone's explanation a pretext , you definitely think that it is not true or not the real reason: His pretext for being late was that his alarm clock was broken (=you do not believe it was broken, OR it was broken, but you know there was another reason that he was really late).

1- explain sth <-> away phrasal verb [T]
to make something seem less important, or not your fault, by giving reasons for it:
• Children will often try to explain away bruises caused by abuse.

2-explanation noun
1 [C,U] the reasons you give for why something happened or why you did something:
• Coach Green wasn't willing to accept his explanation. [+ for]:
• a scientific explanation for the change [+ of]:
• The report gave a technical explanation of the accident.:
• give/provide an explanation: The terrorists gave no explanation for the killing.

3-trot sth<-> out phrasal verb [T] INFORMAL
1 to give opinions, excuses, reasons etc. that you have used too often to seem sincere:
• The drugs industry will trot out its usual defense to explain the high prices.

4-weasel out phrasal verb [I]
INFORMAL to avoid doing something you should do by using dishonest excuses or lies [+ of]:
• Fife is now in court trying to weasel out of $25 million in debts.

5- wriggle out of sth phrasal verb [T]
to avoid doing something by making excuses:
• Once again, Douglas wriggled out of making a final decision.

6-a cast-iron excuse/alibi/guarantee etc. an excuse, alibi etc. that is very certain and cannot fail.

7-a poor/bad etc. excuse for sth used when you think someone is very bad at something they are doing or at their job:
• Her paintings are a pretty poor excuse for artwork.

8-pardon/excuse my French SPOKEN, INFORMAL used to say that you are sorry that you just used an offensive word


9-pardon/forgive/excuse the expression SPOKEN said when you have used a word that you think may offend someone:
• She's kind of a bitch, if you'll pardon the expression.

10-stock excuse/question/remark etc. an excuse, question etc. that people often say or use, especially when they cannot think of anything more interesting or original

11-threadbare excuse/argument/joke etc. an excuse etc. that is not effective anymore because it has been used too much

12-accidents happen SPOKEN used as an excuse for something bad that has happened:
• When asked about the deaths of innocent victims, Abbas shrugged and replied, "Accidents happen."

13-alibian excuse for something you have failed to do or done wrong

14-awkward adjective

15-blinda trick or excuse to stop someone from discovering the truth

16-cock and bull story a story or excuse that is silly and unlikely but is told as if it were true:
• He gave me a cock and bull story about the glass being smashed by hailstones.

17-cockamamie adjective INFORMAL
a cockamamie story, excuse, or idea is not believable or does not make sense:
• Unemployment is not going to be solved by some cockamamie economic theory.

18-concoct verb [T]
1 to invent a story, excuse, or plan, especially in order to deceive someone:
• Lawyers claim that she's a nut who's concocted a story of date rape.

19-cook sth<-> up phrasal verb [T]
INFORMAL to invent an excuse, reason, plan etc., especially one that is slightly dishonest or unlikely to work:
• Stevenson accused the Republicans of cooking up issues to embarrass the president.
• He has a knack for cooking up new uses for old technology

20-the devil made me do it HUMOROUS used to make an excuse for something bad you have done

21-to be fair said when adding something after someone has been criticized, which helps to explain or excuse what they did:
• He's not playing very well but, to be fair, he did have a pretty serious injury.

22-a flabby argument, excuse etc. is weak and not effective

23-a flimsy argument, excuse etc. is hard to believe:
• The evidence against him is very flimsy.

24-don't give me that! INFORMAL said when you do not believe someone's excuse or explanation:
• "I'm too tired." "Oh, don't give me that! You just don't want to come."

25-goldbrick also gold·brick·er noun [C]
INFORMAL someone who stays away from their work, and especially uses the false excuse that they are sick

26-indefensible adjective
1 too bad to be excused or defended:
• It is indefensible that in such a rich country so many people are poor.

27-inexcusable adjective
inexcusable behavior is too bad to be excused:
• Being late for your own wedding is inexcusable.

28-lame1 adjective
INFORMAL a lame explanation or excuse does not sound very believable:
• I don't want to hear any of your lame excuses for being late. --

29-manufacture verb
invent an untrue story, excuse etc.:
• If the media can manufacture stories like this, then who are we supposed to believe?

30-opt out phrasal verb [I]
to decide not to do something, or to excuse yourself from doing something [+ of]:
• David felt sick and opted out of going to his Uncle's house for dinner that night

31-out nnoun
[singular] INFORMAL an excuse for not doing something, or a chance to avoid a difficult situation:
• I'm busy Sunday, so that gives me an out.

32-pitch sb a line INFORMAL to tell someone a story or give them an excuse that is difficult to believe:
• She pitched me some line about a bomb scare on the metro.

33-plea noun
[singular] an excuse for something:
• He refused to come on the plea that he had work to do at home.

34-plead ignorance/poverty/insanity etc. to give a particular excuse for your actions:
• Goldman has pleaded ignorance, saying he knew nothing about the violations.

35-seize on/upon sth phrasal verb [T]
to suddenly become very interested in an idea, excuse, what someone says etc.:
• White House staffers seized upon the senator's comments.

36-a song and dance INFORMAL an explanation or excuse that is too long and complicated:
• Then he gave us some boring song and dance about being a citizen of the world.

37-stock excuse/question/remark etc. an excuse, question etc. that people often say or use, especially when they cannot think of anything more interesting or original

38-Story :EXCUSE an excuse or explanation, especially one that you have invented:
• When I asked her why she didn't call, she gave me some story about her dog getting sick.

39-talk your way out of sth INFORMAL to escape from a bad or embarrassing situation by giving explanations, excuses etc.:
• How did Cindy talk her way out of getting a speeding ticket?

40-thin EXCUSE/ARGUMENT/EXPLANATION adjective a thin excuse, argument, or explanation is not good or detailed enough to persuade you that it is true:
• That's a pretty thin excuse - he could have gotten there if he'd really wanted to.

41-threadbare excuse/argument/joke etc. an excuse etc. that is not effective anymore because it has been used too much

42-a transparent lie, excuse etc. does not deceive people

43-trot sth<-> out phrasal verb [T] INFORMAL
1 to give opinions, excuses, reasons etc. that you have used too often to seem sincere:
• The drugs industry will trot out its usual defense to explain the high prices.

44- venial adjective FORMAL
a venial fault, mistake etc. is not very serious and can therefore be forgiven:
• a venial sin --compare VENAL