putoff

8.4

An excuse people use to delay or avoid doing something

noun
/ˈpʊtˌɔf/

Informal

: excusa

I'm tired of hearing the same old putoff whenever I ask for an update.

Examples

His promise to look into the matter was just a clever putoff.
His constant putoff made her frustrated.
She always comes up with a new putoff when it's time to make a decision.
Don't use that putoff again!
His promise to look into the matter was just a clever putoff.
I'm tired of hearing the same old putoff whenever I ask for an update.
She always comes up with a new putoff when it's time to make a decision.

Synonyms

stall

vsputoff

11 6.2

A deliberate delay used to gain more time

is an excuse or pretext mainly for postponing action without misleading

copout

vsputoff

Informal

3 7.5

An excuse that avoids doing something difficult or unpleasant

is an excuse aimed at delaying or avoiding action generally

Antonyms

action

∞ 1.3

Doing things to get results

commitment

829 3.3

A promise to support a person, cause, or plan

How Convincing

justification

156 4.0

to alibi

3 7.1

to excuse

178 2.5

putoff

Informal

8.4

pretext

42 6.7

Surface Forms

putoff singular

putoffs plural

Morphology

putoff = put + off (semi-transparent) = put + off

The noun is built from the phrasal verb 'put off', but its meaning as an excuse or pretext is a lexicalized extension rather than a fully predictable combination.

Etymology

Putoff comes from the words put and off, where off means 'away' or 'later'. It is like 'putting something off', pushing it away, so a putoff is an excuse that delays or avoids doing something.