putoff

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put·off

(po͝ot′ôf′, -ŏf′)

A pretext for inaction; an excuse.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun

putoff - a pretext for delay or inaction

pretext, stalking-horse - something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

"Yes, she would be, but that she thinks there will be another putoff. She does not depend upon his coming so much as I do: but she does not know the parties so well as I do.

View in context

It has been well documented that Russell Targ and Hal Putoff coined the word "remote viewing" when they were conducting parapsychology at Stanford Research Institute.

The Essential Guide to Remote Viewing

This has putoff some would- be regional buyers who prefer to pur- chase a supercar and leave in it the same day.

Unleashing the WOLF

Nothing is a bigger putoff than having to deal with rude employees or having a hard time hunting down someone for assistance.

What woman want: making your store female-friendly

And as if red tape weren't a putoff, the number of available venues, too, is shrinking with the government making it clear that the various stadiums upgraded for the Commonwealth Games will be used only for sports events.